Harry and Alice Potter: Year Four
by TheOriginalSnapespeare
Summary: Harry and Alice are back for the fourth installment of the Potter twins journey! The Potter twins return to Hogwarts to discover it will be the host school of the Triwizard Tournament. When one of the twins somehow becomes one of the tournament champions things take a turn for the worst. Follow Harry and Alice in their battle against the return of the Dark Lord.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 Back Home**

Remus had somehow acquired a muggle car drove us home from the train station. I tried several times to begin a conversation with him, but I didn't quite know what to say, or rather how to say it. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was that Harry and the rest of us had rushed off after Sirius, and that for once it had been an accident and not a half thought out scheme. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was that we'd let Pettigrew escape, but mostly I wanted to tell him how sorry I was that he had been alone the last month. But every time I tried to put any of it into words, I just couldn't, so I resolved to starring at my shoes in regret.

"How's Severus?" He asked me off-handedly as the car drove down a twisting road.

"Fine I expect. Didn't get to see him much during the closing weeks." I answered not sure how he could be so calm. Remus drove up the road to Severus' house helping me unload my trunk.

"I assume he's already flooed home." Remus said nodding in the direction of the front door. "Remember my door is always open should you need anything."

"You two still not talking then?" I asked for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few months. He just smiled and handed me my owl cadge with click of the car's trunk.

"See you soon Alice!" He called backing out of the driveway, roaming off, presumably to return the car to wherever it came from.

"I'm home!" I called as I stepped through the doorway. Severus came striding into the kitchen from his bedroom. He promptly levitated my trunk and Apollo's cadge up to my room.

"How was the train?" He asked moving to sit at the kitchen table.

"Exhausting." I huffed throwing myself into the chair across from him. "Met my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon though. They seem…unpleasant. " Severus allowed a thin grin to slip through his lips.

"That's one way of putting it." He said.

"They wouldn't…they're won't hurt Harry will they?" I asked feeling stupid for only thinking of it then. Severus glared down at me from his eyebrows.

"They wouldn't dare." It wasn't exactly reassuring but I was sure nothing would happen to Harry. I got up from the table and stretched my arms high above my head.

"Well I could really use a nap. I think I'm going to head upstairs, I'll unpack after that ok?" I said walking towards the stairs.

"Not so fast young lady." Severus said pointing to the table. "Have a seat." I returned to my seat at the table propping my head up on my hands. "We need to discuss your punishment."

"Punishment? The summer's only just started what could I possibly be getting punished for?" I whined.

"Let's see, aiding another student to leave Hogwarts and visiting Hogsmeade village all year without permission, staying out past curfew, sneaking into the Shrieking Shack, knocking out a professor, breaking the laws of time by going back in time enabling a convicted felon to escape, and dragging other students around while doing it."

"Well when you put it that way…" I answered not really able to defend myself. "But we had the best of intensions!" I tried.

"Would you expect us to forgive Voldemort if that was his response to killing muggleborns everywhere? He also claimed to have _the best of intensions._" I understood what he was trying to say, but I didn't want to chance an argument by pointing out I hadn't killed anyone. _I'm not getting out of this am I? _I thought to myself sighing internally.

"So what did you and Remus decide is going to be my punishment?" I asked knowing that it wouldn't be too bad because Remus was usually able to tame Severus rage.

"Are you forgetting that Remus and I came to an agreement last term, an agreement in which he no longer has anything to do with your discipline?"

"Yes." I admitted reluctantly. I frowned. _Well here's to the most miserable summer of my life._

"Well now that you're aware, shall I continue?" I nodded. "I've decided that this summer you will work closely with me to complete every potion in the fourth year potions book." Well that doesn't seem too bad. I love potions and it would be a good way to spend some time with Severus.

"And?" I asked.

"And what Alice?" Severus asked.

"What's the rest of my punishment?"

"I had thought that would be sufficient. Though if you wish I can always add to it…"

"No no, that's alright!" I said stopping him before he could actually add anything else.

"Very well then Alice. You're free to do as you please. Dinner will be in two hour, and we will begin our potions after that."

"Ok see you later Sev." I said giving him a hug on my way upstairs. He reluctantly braced himself against the chair and wrapped an arm around me in a half hug.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Just A Few Days**

I woke up late the next morning to the sweet smell of homemade waffles cooking in the kitchen. It was just like the old days, before I went to Hogwarts; before I found out I was Allison Lillian Potter. Severus stood towering over a waffle maker. A bowl of fresh strawberries were placed in the center of the table. Next to the bowl sat the morning copy of The Daily Prophet.

"What's the occasion Sev?" I asked cheerily, sitting in my usual place at the table.

"Since when does your guardian need a reason to cook breakfast?" He asked placing a completed stack of waffles on the table. I took two clean plates out of the cabinet and handed one to Severus.

"You know waffles are my favorite breakfast food and you only cook them when you want something from me." I answer stacking some waffles on my plate.

"I confess I am up to something. I have some_ errands_ to run this afternoon and I may be gone for a few days." Yup just like old times, first day of the summer holiday and he already has to leave. I involuntarily began to pout into my waffles. Pity flickers among Severus' features.

"I'm sorry Alice-Lily. You know I would stay if I could."

"Yeah, I know." I answer to the floor. "It's just," I stared into his dark eyes. "I always thought that when I went to Hogwarts we'd spend more time together, but since I've started there I've seen you even less. I had hoped that since we were going to be brewing potions together maybe I'd see you at least a few hours every day. I understand you have responsibilities, sometimes I just wish I could be your number one Priority."

"Allison." He exhaled my full name in a sigh. "You _are_ my number one priority. I may have other _responsibilities _as you say,but everything I do is to protect you." Having finished his waffles Severus left the table and started to wash the morning dishes.

"I know." I say munching on my last bits of waffle. "Have you told Remus or…" I let my sentence trail off as I started to clear the rest of the table.

"I stopped by your Uncle's House this morning while you were sleeping. He said he would be more than pleased to have you stay with him for a few days." I was expecting a condescending sneer from him and couldn't help but smile when one didn't come.

"You've finally made up." I slipped more dirty dishes into the sink and gave Severus a quick side hug. "Are you washing dishes by hand? The muggle way?" I asked. Severus often lectured me about using magic at home, but I was prohibited from doing so by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. As an adult wizard Severus was well within his legal right to use magic to wash the dishes.

"You've caught me Alice. I am stalling. Despite what you may believe I do not enjoy some of my _responsibilities_, but a long time ago I made a promise to keep a certain young and bothersome witch safe. Sometimes that means doing things that I do not want to. You should go pack your things."

"Just a few days, right?" I asked at the bottom of the stairs.

"I hope." He answered quietly. At least things seemed to finally be back to normal. I packed an old duffle bag with enough clothes for a few days plus my wand and some spell books in case I wanted to practice some magic. Remus was a lot less restrictive when it came to underage sorcery, so I liked to take advantage of that whenever possible. I had let my owl Apollo out to hunt the night before and he had yet to return. I grabbed his empty cadge in one hand while slinging the duffle bag onto the opposite shoulder. When I got back downstairs Severus had finished with the dishes. He now sat at the kitchen table skimming the _Prophet_.

"Still stalling?" I accused walking down the last few steps.

"Just waiting for you to leave." He answered dryly his eyes peering over the top of the _Prophet. _

"You remember that enchanted parchment you gave me at the start of my first year?" I ask knowing he would. My piece of enchanted parchment and the matching piece he carried were our main form of communication at Hogwarts.

"Yes. Did you lose it?" he asked eyeing me suspiciously.

"No." I answer confidently pulling the parchment from the pocket of my jeans. "You told me once that if I needed it to contact you if I needed anything. I just wanted to remind you that it works both ways." I smiled stowing the parchment back in my pocket. In truth I never expected Severus to come to me for help with his problems. In his eyes I was still just a kid, a kid who was prone to trouble. The last person anyone should seek help from. But I also knew that everyone needs to feel like they have someone to count on event if it was a fourteen year old girl who was attracted to trouble.

"Thank you for the reminder. I shall keep that in mind should a swarm of death eaters come after me." He replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Don't you have somewhere to be? A certain werewolf to pester perhaps?"

"Alright I'm going." I swooped in hugging him, which crinkled his copy of the _Prophet_. It always worried me when Severus had "errands" to attend to. He was never specific about which side had called upon him. I was never sure which was more dangerous, and I tried hard not to think about it. All I could hope was that he wasn't gone long and that everything went well. I placed an unplanned kiss on his cheek and headed towards the door. "I love you Sev, please be careful." I was twenty feet from the front door when I heard him call my name.

"Alice-Lily," I stopped turning to face him." Everything is going to be fine. I'll see you in a few days."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Letters **

"I'll see you in a few days. That's what he had said. Those few days had turned to a week, then two weeks and we were about to enter a third week. Remus and I had been next door to feed the horses and check the house several times. Each visit as disappointing as the last.

"Maybe we should owl Dumbledore." I said to Remus one day over lunch. He shook his head, frowning.

"Too risky should the letter fall into the wrong hands…I'm sorry Alice the best we can do is sit tight and hope he comes home soon." He was right of course but that didn't make me feel any better about it. "how is Harry?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"I got an owl from him this morning but I haven't opened it yet. Maybe I'll do that now. It'll take my mind off things." I said getting up from the table. Remus began clearing the table the magic way, and I picked up my letter from Harry off the counter.

_Dear Alice,_

_Tell Remus it's been a while since I've heard from our favorite black dog, but he's still safe. As far as our Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, they're just as magic hating as ever. They don't even let cousin Dudley watch muggle magicians on the television. A television is like a box with pictures but they tell a story. Hermione could probably explain it better, be sure to ask her. Ron's dad got tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, and he's invited both of us to come along. But I'm sure you've already got Ron's Letter._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Harry._

Ron's letter hmm I thought as I shuffled through the stack of mail on the counter. Remus and I had gotten lots of mail the last few days but I had been too preoccupied with Severus to read any of it. I found an envelope with my name scribbled across in what was most definitely Ron's hand writing.

_Alice,_

_My dad was able to get tickets! Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday Night! Was wondering if you'd like to come? Of course you would who would want to miss the Quidditch World Cup? We plan on rescuing Harry from the muggles for the rest of the summer as well. Hermione is coming this afternoon. Mom says you can come by floo any time before Sunday at 5, that's when we're going to get Harry. _

_Bet I'll see you soon,_

_Ron_

Ron was right who would want to miss the World Cup? But there was no way Remus was going to let me go with Severus like this. I looked up from Ron's letter to see him watching me.

"How's Harry?" He asked sipping from a tea I hadn't seen him make.

"He's good. He says Sirius is good too." I answered trying to think of a good way to work the World Cup into the conversation. "I also got a letter from Ron. Apparently Mr. Weasley has tickets for the World Cup on Monday."

"That's very lucky of them. Quidditch World Cup tickets are very difficult to get. I suppose Arthur must have a friend in the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"Well as it turns out Mr. Weasley has invited Harry, Hermione, and I to come along." I said handing him Ron's letter. Remus scanned the letter.

"I think you should go." He said handing the letter back to me. "At least it's something to take your mind off of Severus for a while. Plus you'll be able to see Harry. Why don't you send letters to both the boys while I check everything with Molly and Arthur?" Remus left the room, tea cup still in hand, most likely to floo to the Weasleys.' It seemed silly to owl Ron when Remus was about to step into his house, so I just started a letter to Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_Glad to hear about our favorite black dog. Remus and I do have a television, though your description of it was quite good! The Dursleys sound positively dreadful and I wish there was a way you could stay with Remus and I. I do have some good news though; I will be joining you, Hermione and the Weasleys' for the Quidditch World Cup. _

_See you soon twin!_

_-Allison Lillian Potter._

I sent the letter off to Harry, positioned myself on a couch and waited for Remus to come back from Ron's. Within minutes he returned from the fireplace brushing embers off his tattered suit. I smiled at my own personal joke to see that Remus was still holding his teacup.

"Molly and Arthur are happy to have you, they're expecting you now. You should pack for a few days. As I'm sure you'll want to spend time with Harry while you're there." I found my old Duffle bag on the floor of the bedroom I was staying in and packed enough clothes in it. Stowing my wand and my enchanted piece of parchment in my pocket, I headed back upstairs.

"Promise me you'll tell me if you hear anything from Sev?" I asked stepping into the fire place.

"I will." Remus said with a nod. "Try to have fun Alice."

"I will." I told him smiling. I held a handful of Floo powder above my head shouting "The Weasleys'." Before letting the powder cascade out of my hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Retrieving Harry **

I stepped out into the Weasleys' living room brushing off soot from my clothes. I nearly fell back into the fireplace as a bushy mop of hair lunged forward. "It's…nice…to see you too Hermione." I said bracing myself, successfully avoiding a tumble.

"Sorry." She smiled as she let go. "How has your holiday been so far?"

"It's been average." I answered honestly. "How have you been Ron?" I asked looking towards him.

"A typical Weasley summer here." He answered holding his arms out. I hugged him also.

"Think we'll be able to stay out of trouble this year at Hogwarts?" I asked them as Ron's older twin brothers came into the room.

"Stay out of trouble?" George repeated. "That would be a tragedy, don't you agree Fred?"

"Right you are Fred. What is life without a little trouble?" Fred answered.

"Why do I have a feeling you two are," I paused eyeing them suspiciously, "up to something?"

"Us? Up to something?" George asked.

"Alice when are George and I anything other than perfect gentlemen?"

"I don't trust either of you." I said looking from Fred to George, placing my hands on my hips.

"That is most likely a good choice Allison." Percy Weasley called from the doorway. "Those two are most certainly _up to something_. Mother says that dinner is ready Alice, Hermione, you're welcome to join us." He disappeared from the door without another word.

"You might as well come along. Mum'll try and make you anyway." Fred said. After dinner, Hermione and Ginny helped me get my things settled in Ginny's room. The three of us were sitting cross-legged on the floor while Hermione and I helped Ginny with some of her summer homework.

"Dad, George, Fred and I are about to go pick up Harry, we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us Alice?"

"Sure." I said as Ron helped me up off the floor. "Any chance to get a glimpse of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Good luck with that spell Ginny, I'll see you both later." We walked down to the living room where Mr. Weasley, Fred and George were already waiting for us.

"I'll go first so that the muggles can become properly acquainted with the Floo Network. Ron you and Alice follow, Fred and George bringing up the rear." Somehow I doubted Mr. Weasley was the best person to educate any muggle about the Floo Network but I also doubted we had a better option at the time.

"Read for this?" Ron asked stepping into the fireplace and offering me a hand. I took his hand as stepped forward. Facing Fred and George, Ron and I let the floo powder fall through our fingers. When we reached the other side my face slammed into Ron.

"Ouch."

"Ow." We each called out as we rattled against the brick walls of the fireplace. "Sorry Ron what's going on?"

"I think we're stuck, Dad?" He called down to Mr. Weasley.

"Mr. Weasley can you hear me?" Harry's voice called up the chimney.

"That's Harry!" Ron called to me. I chuckled, _thanks Ron I had no idea._ "Well we're at the right place that's half the battle."

"Mr. Weasley it's Harry, the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."

"Damn!" Mr. Weasley said. "What on earth did they want to block up the fire place for?"

"They've got an electric fire." Harry explained.

"Ouch!" I called as I was hit in the back of the head.

"Sorry Alice. Wasn't expecting you to still be in the chimney."

"It's alright George, we're stuck because the Dursley's have an electric fireplace."

"I think I've got a solution, Harry stand back." There was a loud bang as we all tumbled out of the fireplace.

"That's better." Mr. Weasley panted as he brushed the dust from his long green robes. Once Ron and I were on our feet we helped George and Fred to theirs. "Ah-You must be Harry's aunt and uncle." Mr. Weasley continued with his hand outstretched toward Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia with him. Either Mr. Weasley didn't notice their distain or he pretended not to. "Sorry about that," he said pointing to a busted electric fireplace. "It's all my fault. It just didn't occur to me that we woudn't be able to get out the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see-just for the afternoon, you know, so that we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, but I've got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the kids back and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate."

Harry and I exchanged a glance, it was clear to both of us that Uncle Vernon hadn't understood a single word of what Mr. Weasley said. But again Mr. Weasley continued on as if he didn't notice. "Hell Harry! Got your trunk ready?"

"We'll get it." Fred said at once, together he and George left the room. A silence built around the room as Mr. Weasley seemed to run out of things to say.

"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, I'm Alice we met a few weeks ago when you picked up Harry from the train? Your house is very nice." I said trying to defuse the tension. But they just continued to stare from Harry, to Ron, to Mr. Weasley, to me, and back to Harry. So I turned to Mr. Weasley. "Mr. Weasley would it be alright if Harry Ron and I went back to the Burrow?"

"Ah excellent Idea Alice. Yes, why don't you and the boys head back home, and when Fred and George come down stairs I'll send them back too. See you all in a little while." Thankful for an excuse to leave I grabbed Ron and Harry by the wrist and pulled them towards the fireplace. We disappeared towards the Weasley's home without another word.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 The Portkey**

"Well that was possibly the most awkward meeting." I said smiling as my feet landed in the Weasley's fireplace.

"Imagine what's Dad's saying to them right now?" Ron laughed as he stepped out of the fireplace. After a few minutes Fred and George arrived with Harry's trunk, they were followed by Mr. Weasley. Once Mr. Weasley left the room George held out a handful of sweets.

"What are those?" Harry asked reaching for one. I placed my hands on my hips.

"No doubt some sort trick." Harry seemed to agree with me retracted his hand. "Well come on, what are they?" I asked.

"Let's go upstairs and we'll show you." George answered pocketing the sweets. Picking up Harry's trunk again Fred and George bounded upstairs to Ron's room. The three of us followed them upstairs, where Hermione and Ginny were already waiting.

"Ok so what's with the sweets?" I asked when Ron's bedroom door was tightly secured.

"Well you know we've been hearing explosions out of Fred and George's room for ages, but we never thought they were actually _making _things. We just thought they liked making noise." Ginny said.

"That was until this summer when mum found a stack of order forms when she was cleaning their room." Ron continued. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands ad trick sweets, loads of stuff, It was brilliant!"

"Only, most of the stuff was a bit dangerous." Hermione pointed out.

"We planned on selling out stuff at Hogwarts to make some money." George said acting as if Hermione hadn't spoken at all.

"Until Mum found those order forms and went mad on us. She told us we aren't allowed to make any more of it and burned the order forms." Fred continued.

"There was this big fight, because Mum wants them to get a job at the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."

"I'm sure that went really well." I said knowing Mrs. Weasley would have been appalled by the idea. We spent the rest of the night talking and testing some of the Twin's products.

"Well boys it's getting late and we have to be up early tomorrow to leave for the World Cup." Hermione said standing up. After saying goodnight to the boys Ginny and I followed Hermione off to bed.

I was shaken awake by Mrs. Weasley. "Time to wake up Alice, dear." I mumbled something unintelligent as I tried to pull the covers back over my face. Of course Mrs. Weasley would have none of that as she shook the blankets from my hands. Grumbling I dragged myself out of bed, and got dressed alongside Hermione and Ginny. The three of us sleepily staggered into the kitchen.

"Where are Bill, Charlie and Percy?" Ginny asked flopping onto a seat at a kitchen table.

"Well they're Apparating, aren't they?" Mrs. Weasley asked Mr. Weasley over her shoulder.

"So they're still in bed?" Fred said grumpily as the boys entered the kitchen. "Why can't we Apparate too?"

"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed your test yet." Mrs. Weasley snapped as she poured bowls of porridge for each of us.

"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" I asked. I 'd been through side along Apparation a few times, but I never really thought about how Wizards learned to Apparate.

"Oh yes," Mr. Weasley answered joining the conversation. "The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went ans splinched themselves. They left half of themselves behind, so of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way, had to wait for the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind…"

"Where they okay?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes," Mr. Weasley said matter-of-factly. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms-slower, but safer."

"Why do we have to be up so early?" Ron asked rubbing his eyes.

"We've got a bit of a walk." Mr. Weasley told us.

"Are we walking to the World Cup?" Harry asked yawning.

"No, no, that's miles away. We need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. We have to be very careful about how we travel at the best of times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup…"

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shouted causing us all to jump.

"What?" he asked in a falsified innocent tone.

"What's in your pocket?"

"Nothing!"

"Don't you lie to me!" Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket, "Accio!" Several small, brightly colored objects zoomed out of George's pocket, he made a grab for them but missed and they sped right into Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand. The three of us non-Weasleys exchanged of frightened wide-eyed looks. "We told you to destroy them!" Mrs. Weasley exploded. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!" There was a two foot tall pile of sweets on the Weasley's table.

"We spent six months developing those!" George shouted at his mother.

"Oh a fair way to spend six months!" She shrieked. "No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s!" Eventually Mr. Weasley was able to calm Mrs. Weasley down enough that we finished out awkward but silent breakfast. The eight of us hoisted bags over our shoulders and headed out from the Burrow. It was a chilly night so I zipped my sweatshirt up to further to shield myself from the wind.

"Mr. Weasley," I called ahead to him. "How _does_ everyone get there without any Muggles noticing?"

"It's been a massive organizational problem." Mr. Weasley signed. "The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up at the World Cup, and of course, we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or platform nine and three-quarters. So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. First, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains-remember Wizards are coming from all over the world. For those who don't want to Apparate or can't, we use Portkeys. They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up at the top of Stoatshead Hill, so that's where we're headed."

"What sort of objects are a Portkey?" Harry asked.

"A Portkey can be anything really." Hermione chimed in. "It's usually something a Muggle would consider trash, so that they won't pick it up, something they wouldn't look twice at." The hill began to grow steep and we were panting as we neared the top.

"Whew," Mr. Weasley panted as he took off his glasses and whipped them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time, we've got ten minutes. "Now we just need the Portkey it won't be big, come on." Hermione and I exchanged an exhausted look, but we began to search for the Portkey anyway. It was only a few moments of searching before we heard a distance voice call to us.

"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!" Hermione and I turned to see two tall figures walking towards us.

"Amos!" Mr. Weasley called to the silhouettes. The group of us gathered around Mr. weasley as he shook hands with a wizard who was holding a moldy looking old boot.

"Everyone, This is Amos Doggory! He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and I think you know his son Cedric?" Harry and I had both played Cedric in Quidditch because he is the Hufflepuff Quidditch team seeker.

"Hi." He said flashing a charming smile at us all.

"Long walk, Arthur?" Amos Diggory asked him.

"Not too bad." Mr. Weasley answered. "We live on the other side of the village there. You?"

"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced?" I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparation test. Still, not complaining, Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons, and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy." And in that moment Mr. Diggory was staring at us kids. "All these yours Arthur?"

"Oh no, only the redheads." Mr. Weasley told him proudly. I smiled at Ron, Mr. Weasley seemed to have forgotten that I also had red hair. "This is Hermione Granger a friend of Ron's," he said gesturing to her, and those two, are Harry and Alice." He said pointing to each Harry and I. "Oh I suppose Alice has red hair, but she and Harry are brother and sister, also friends of Ron's."

"Merlin's beard, Harry and Alice Potter?" Mr. Diggory asked.

"Yeah." Harry and I answered together rolling our eyes. We were used to this sort of question.

"Ced's talked about you both of course. He's told my wife and I about all your matches on the Quiddtich field. He told us of one game where Hufflepuff beat Gryffindor. I said to him, I said Ced,that'll be something to tell your grandchildren that you will, you beat Harry Potter!" Harry obviously couldn't think of a reply to this so he remained silent. Cedric on the other hand looked slightly embarrassed.

"Harry fell off his broom Dad," Cedric Muttered. "I told you it was an accident."

"Yes but _you_ didn't fall off, did you?" Mr. Diggory roared. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman, but the best man won. I'm sure Harry'd say the same wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays one, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!" At this point no one really knew what to say, what was to me was that Cedric could possibly be the gentleman his father said he was, and that possibly Mr. Diggory needed to work on his people skills.

"Must be nearly time." Mr. Weasley interjected. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets, there aren't any more of us in the area, are there?"

"Not that I know of," Mr. Weasley told him. "Yes, it's a minute off, we'd better get ready." Everyone grab hold, whatever you do, don't let go."

"Doesn't sound too difficult." Hermione said nodding to me. We crowded by the old boot each of us grabbing hold. Not one of us spoke we just all stood in a tight circle gathered around the Portkey. Together Mr. Diggory and Mr. Weasley began a countdown.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 Arriving at the World Cup **

My feet slammed to the ground before I toppled over and landed on my back. George tripped over me and landed on top of Harry. The collective heap of bodies jumbled as we all tried to get to our feet. Once I was standing I saw a pair of grumpy-looking wizards one of them was holding a large gold watch, and the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill.

"Morning, Basil." Mr. Weasley greeted the man with the roll of parchment as he handed him the boot. The wizard took the boot and put it in a bin of used Porkeys beside him.

"Hello there Arthur." Basil answered wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some…We've been here all night…You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite…Weasley…Weasley…" He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manger's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory…second field…ask for ."

"Thanks Basil." Mr. Weasley smiled and then gestured for the rest of us to follow. After about twenty minutes we walked to a small stone cottage beyond that I could see hundreds and hundreds of tents scattered in grass. We said good-bye the the Diggorys as Mr. Weasley knocked on the cottage door. There Mr. Weasley paid a muggle man for a camping space he had reserved earlier in the week. After Hermione helped Mr. Weasley pay the man with muggle money he lead us to a site marked "Weezly."

"Couldn't have picked a better spot! The field is just over the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be. Right," Mr. Weasley began excitedly. "No magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on muggle land. We'll put these tents up the by hand!" he exclaimed as if it was going to be the most thrilling moment of his life. "Shouldn't be too hard, muggles do it all the time." I had never been camping before, I never really thought about it either but I imagined it being fun. Together Harry, Hermione, Ron and I were able to get one tent set up, while Ginny, Fred, George and Mr. Weasley set up the second. Once the two tents were erected the eight of us admired our handiwork.

"Mr. Weasley?" Hermione began, "Once Bill, Charlie and Percy get here will we all fit comfortably in the tents?"

"We will be a bit cramped." He called to her as he stepped inside, "But I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look." Shrugging our shoulders Hermione, Harry, and I joined the Weasleys in the tent. The true power of magic never stopped amazing me. The inside of the larger of the two tents, there was a fully furnish little home complete with a bathroom and a kitchen. "Well it's not for long." Mr. Weasley said surveying the four bunks of the bedroom we were all standing in. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago.

"There's a tap marked on this map that muggle gave us." Ron said thoroughly unimpressed with the extrodinary inner proportions of the tent. "It's on the other side of the field."

"Well why don't you Harry, Alice, and Hermione go get us some water then. The rest of us will get some wood for a fire."

"But we've got an oven. Why can't we just…"

"Ron, anti-muggle security! When muggles go camping, they cook on fires outdoors." Hermione explained. While Hermione and Ron engaged themselves in a debate about "anti-muggle security" we went the fetch some water. But not before stopping in for a tour of the smaller tent that Ginny, Hermione and I would be sharing.

As we walked through the field we saw witches and wizards here and there emerging from their tents to start cooking breakfast. Mr. Weasley was right when he has said that witches and Wizards from all of the world had come to see the match. We passed three African wizards who were engaged in a serious conversation as they roasted a rabbit on a bright purple fire. We also passed a group of middle-aged American witches who sat gossiping amongst themselves. Soon we came upon a patch of tents that had been covered with a thick layer of shamrocks, giving the tents the appearance of having grown out of the earth.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione! Alice! " The four of us turned to see Hogwarts' fourth year Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan. He was sitting in front of a small shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy haired woman who must have been his mother.

"Like the decorations?" He asked us grinning. "The Ministry's not too happy."

"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" Mrs. Finnigan. The boys and I turned to Hermione, who didn't seem like she was going to be lecture Mrs. Finnigan about "anti-muggle security." Mrs. Finnigan continued on about decorations. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over _their_ tents. You'll be supporting Ireland of course?" The four of us nodded in agreement assuring Mrs. Finnigan that we were supporting Ireland.

"Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot!" Ron whispered to me as we left the Irish campsite.

"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents." Hermione said.

"Let's go and have a look." Harry said pointing towards a large group of tents where the Bulgarian flag was fluttering in the breeze. Each and every one of the Bulgarian tents had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a man with a sour expression on his face.

"Krum." Ron whispered.

"What?" Hermione asked looking at him.

"Krum!" Ron exclaimed "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"

"He looks really grumpy." Hermione told him.

"Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelieveable. He's really young too. Only eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight you'll see." We eventually made our way to the tap and brought back water to the tents.

"You've been ages!" George called as we entered.

"Sorry we met a few people on the way." Harry said putting the water down.

"You not got the fire started yet?" Ron asked looking around.

"Dad's having fun with the matches." Ginny answered disapprovingly. We followed Ginny outside to see Mr. Weasley surrounded by splintered bits of matches all over the ground. Lucky for us Hermione was able to help him light the fire. It would be another hour before we were able to cook anything so while we waited we unpacked our things and settled in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 The Dark Mark**

The match ended quickly with Ireland beating Bulgaria by ten points. When the match was finished we had a long walk back to the tents, but none of us felt like sleeping. Reluctantly Mr. Weasley agreed to let us share a round of hot cocoa before turning in for the night. Hours later Ginny had fallen asleep at the table and spilled her reaming amount of coca all over the floor. Hermione and I sleepily helped her to our tent as Mr. Weasley insisted everyone head off to bed.

"Girls! Ginny! Girls get up, come on now this is urgent!" The three of us woke with a start as Mr. Weasley called to us from the mouth of the tent.

"S' Matter?" Ginny asked scratching at her eyes.

"No time to explain. Just grab a jacket and get outside quickly!" Stumbling in the darkness we did as we were told and made our way outside. There is still a few fires lit, and from their light people could be seen running away into the woods. They were running from something that was moving across the field towards us. Then came a burst of green light so strong it illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointed straight upward, and marching slowly across the field. It was impossible to identify anyone of them because they each wore hooded cloaks and full-face masks. Floating high above them were four struggling figures, and in that moment I knew why everyone was fleeing into the woods.

"Death Eaters." I whispered as more wizards joined the march, laughing and pointed up at the floating bodies. Briefly the group was highlighted by a burning tent and the four bodies could be identified. It was Mr. Roberts the camping manager and his wife and children.

"That's sick. That's really sick." Ron was muttering to himself as he and Harry stood horrifyingly watching the scene.

"Bill, Charlie, Percy and I are going to help the Ministry." Mr. Weasley shouted over the noise. "You lot get into the woods and stick together. I'll come fetch you when we've sorted them out."  
We did just as we were told sprinting off into the woods. I found myself wishing I had my broom or at least something to help us move along faster. After a few minutes Ron was yelling, panicked we stopped and turned in his direction.

"What Happened?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Ron where are you? Oh this is stupid…Lumos!" With that her wand lit up and we were able to see a narrow beam of light. Ron was lying on the ground but seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Tripped over a tree root." He said angrily, getting to his feet.

"Well with feet that size, hard not to." Came a familiar voice from behind us. Draco Malfoy stood alone nearby with his arms folded, leaning on a tree.

"Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't want _her_ spotted would you?" He asked pointing to Hermione.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked.

"Granger they're after _Muggles_." He answered. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around. They're moving this way." So I was right, I hand never seen a Death Eater in full uniform before, but Draco had just confirmed my suspicion.

"He's right, we should get out of here." I said pulling at Hermoine's arm.

"Scare easily, don't they?" Draco replied lazily. "I suppose your Daddy told you all to hide?" He added looking to Ron. "What's he up to trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where are your parents?" Harry asked as his temper began to rise. "Out there wearing masks are they?" Smiling Draco turned to Harry.

"Well if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you would I Potter?"

"Come on, let's go find the others." Hermione said pulling Harry away. Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be found.

"They can't have gone that far." Ron said pulling out his wand to light it as Hermione had done. Harry and I reached into our jackets to do the same thing.

"Ah no, I don't believe it, I've lost my wand." Harry said digging around in his jacket. Ron, Hermione and I raised our lit wand high enough to light up more of the area around us. Together we searched the ground, but it didn't seem to be around.

"Maybe you left it in the tent." Ron suggested.

"Or Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running." Hermione added.

"Yeah Maybe." Harry grumbled.

"Well we might as well stop hear. No sense in us going further in and getting lost." Ron told us.

"Yes, and we'll be able to hear if anyone comes around." Hermione nodded in agreement. There was nothing but silence as a warm summer air swirled around us. The four of us sat still listening for any sound of intrusion. And then without warning the silence was killed by a voice in the distance. The voice uttered one word but a word that was clear to the four of us as a spell.

"MORSMORDRE!"

"What the?" Harry asked turning in the direction of the spell caster. High in the air an eerily familiar symbol illuminated to night sky, shinning in emerald green. A colossal skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue etched across the sky like a new constellation.

"The dark Mark." I whispered jumping to my feet.

"The What?" Ron asked.

"It's the Dark Mark Ron! You-Know-Who's sign!" Hermione shouted. "Get up both of you!" she continued to shout pulling at Harry and Ron. We turned to run deeper into the forest but well before we were giving the chance a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, surrounding us each with their wands pointed directly at our throats. I gulped not daring to look up.

"DUCK!" Harry Shouted. The rest of us complied without thinking. Launching ourselves to the ground a chorus of "STUPEFY!" rang out around us. There was a blinding series of flashes each followed by the sounds of spells crossing one another or bouncing off of tress into the darkness.

"Stop!" A voice called off into the distance. "Stop! That's my son!"

"Out of the way Arthur!" A ministry worker grumbled shoving his way passed and towards us. "Which of you did it? Which of you conjured the Dark mark?" Getting to our feet, the four of us looked around panicked. This man couldn't honestly believe that fourteen year olds could conjure something like that. Apparently Mr. Wealsey felt the same way.

"Barty, they're just kids!"

"That's Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Ron whispered so that only Hermione, Harry and I could hear him. "He's on duty because of the match. Bit of a looney though." I was familiar with the name, he was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during Voldemort's rise to power, definitely not someone to be messed with. But the four of us had nothing to hide we hadn't done anything.

"We didn't do that." I said pointing up at the sky. Finding some courage Hermione took a step forward.

"We didn't do anything." She answered confidently, but Crouch wouldn't hear it.

"Do not lie to me!" His eyes were popping out of his head as he shouted at us. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!" Ignoring him, made his way into the circle of ministry wizards, most of whom had lowered their wands.

"Where did the mark come from you four?" he asked us quickly but calmly.

"Over there." Harry answered pointing. "There was someone behind the trees."

"It can't have been these children." A witch in a nightdress said. "And whomever it was, well they'll have disapparated by now." Still clearly not convinced Crouch looked the four of us up and down. Squinting his eyes he motioned to ministry wizards forward.

"We must continue our search." Marching off Mr. Crouch left followed in small groups by the Ministry wizards.

"There you lot are!" George called from behind me.

"Thank heavens." Hermione sighed.

"When we lost you in the woods we didn't know what to think." Ginny said as they approached.

"Especially after we found your wand Harry!" Fred told us as he handed the wand off the Harry. Percy, Bill and Charlie followed behind him. Mr. Weasley clapped his hands together smiling.

"Well I think that's enough excitement for one night. What do you all say we head home?"

"Mr. Weasley, how are we going to get home?"

"Excellent question Hermione! Something I hadn't considered." He answered her scratching his head.

"Side along Apparation?" I suggested. "Betweenyou, Bill, and Charlie we should be able to make it back."

"Yes Pecy passed it, on his first try, but Alice he's only just got his Apparating license. The chance of getting splinched…"

"It may be the only option we have." Bill told his father. thought for a moment, r unning his fingers through his hair.

"I suppose you're right." He told us heaving a sigh. "Bill, you take George and Fred, Hermione and Alice with Me, Charlie you take Ron and Harry, Percy you take Ginny." Once everyone was paired off Mr. Weasley nodded approvingly. "Bill, George and Fred you go first. I'll send Percy over next, this way there we'll be on either side in case of splinching." George and Fred each took one of Bill's hands and with a distinctive pop, they disapperated. Percy and Ginny followed with no trouble. They were followed by Charlie, Ron and Harry. When it was just Hermione, Mr. Weasley and I standing together he held out his hands. We each latched onto him tightly, and I felt the familiar head-spilling associated with Apparation as the field faded away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 Panic **

The world was slanted and spinning before we made a solid landing in front of the Weasley's house.

"let's go find the boys." Hermione said heading into the house.

"I bet they're in Ron's room, probably testing some of the twin's stuff." I whispered as the walk passed Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen.

"Alice dear!" She called as we passed by.

"Yes Mrs. Weasley?" I asked turning towards her.

"Remus is here, in the sitting room. He says he's forgotten that you've got somewhere to be." I shrugged at Hermione who looked as confused as I felt.

"Did he say where?" I asked.

"Well no, but I imagine it's somewhere important go and pack your things I'll tell him you've arrived." Anxious to know what had brought Remus all the way here, I collected my things and said a quick good-bye to Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's. With my bag over my shoulder I stepped into the sitting room. A stranger sense of relief washed off Remus' face as he caught sight of me. His face then twisted into a forced calmness.

"Allison. I'm sorry to cut your visit with your friends short, but we've got some business we've got to attend to at home."

"It's alright Remus I understand. Besides I'll get to see them all in a few weeks, when we go to Hogwarts." I answered.

"Ready for home then?" He nodded towards the fireplace. I scooped up a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked before calling out for home and tossing some powder down. My feet touched down in Remus' fireplace, I stepped out quickly and brushed myself of. Remus joined me within minutes.

"Sorry I had to be so vague Alice, but we've got to get you home, Severus is back and he was incredibly upset when he'd discovered you'd left."

"Typical Severus Snape." I said rolling my eyes. "Consider me gone." I headed out the door, and raced across the property lines to Severus' house. I took a deep breath and timidly turned the nob. The air in the kitchen was stale; Severus was bent over the table clutching a bottle of something. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Sev, I'm home. Remus said you were looking for me."

"Allison. Come here." He whispered. I took the few steps towards the table while Severus enveloped me in a hug. Severus started shaking, I looked up to realize he was crying.

"Severus what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I asked him whipping some of his tears away with my sleeve. Severus stood and began collecting four or five empty bottles I hadn't noticed on the floor.

"When Professor Dumbledore first called me away I honestly wasn't expecting to be gone as long as I was. Then I learned about the plans for the World Cup, I thought that you'd be safe with Remus. Once I finally returned home and he told me you were with the Weasleys…I…"

"You panicked." I said completing his thought. Together Severus and I cleared up the mess in the kitchen. When we were finished, he insisted I recount every detail of the events of the World Cup.

"Alice I have to report this information to Albus. Are you alright to be alone for a few hours?" We had both just gotten home, I still hadn't fully processed the events of the world cup and now they were fresh in my mind. But I knew what the right thing to say was it was selfish of me to ask him to stay.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's really late anyway. It's probably morning by now…really what I need is some rest. I'll hardly notice you're gone. Could you do me a small favor though?" asked placing a hand on his arm.

"Anything Alice-Lily"

"Can you wake me up when you get home? I sleep better when I know you're here."

"I think I can manage that. Allison, I promise I'll be back before you know it." Smiling I kissed him on the check.

"Thank you. Goodnight Severus, see you soon." As he whispered "Goodnight" I turned and made my way up to my bedroom.

It was dark, a snake was winding its way down a path. The path leads to a small house in a small village. I've never been here before and I didn't recognize the village either. In the kitchen an old man starts tea. He's either a muggle or a squib because he is making tea without magic. Through the window we can see another house, with a light shining through. This old man must be some sort of a caretaker, he grabs his keys and we walk towards the second house. We walk upstairs in search of the light, all the while the old man mumbles something about meddlesome kids. For the first time at the base of a set of stairs, I hear a familiar voice and it was not a voice I considered friendly.

"Move me closer to the fire Wormtail." My heart pounds out of my chest at the sound of Voldemort's voice. Knowing that Peter Pettigrew has joined him is no comfort either. Still the old man continues forward, and so do I.

"I did not mean to insult you my Lord, I had only meant that perhaps is we could do it without the children…"

"NO! The Children are everything! It cannot be done without them." From a crack in the door, the old caretaker and I can see the shadows of three figures. I do not recognize the voice of the third man when he speaks.

"I will not disappoint you my lord." The same snake from before winds herself through the caretakers feet, into the next room. The tone of the three men change as Voldemort and the snake engage in a conversation in Parseltongue. They are too far away for me to understand but I catch words like "muggle" and "Death". My heart pounds faster as if it intends to give us away.

"Nagini tells me that the Muggle caretaker is standing just outside the door!" Voldemort declared to his two followers. Step aside Wormtale so I can give our guest a proper greeting. AVADA KEDAVRA!" There is a blinding flash of green before I wake in a cold sweat. I wipe the sweat away from my brow only to discover I'm also crying. I looked around for a clock, Severus had probably only been gone for a few minutes but I was too freaked out to go back to sleep. I could have went to Remus' house but he was probably sleeping and if I was being honest I was too spooked to go outside alone. So like a little kid I grabbed a stuffed animal off my bed, went downstairs and curled up in Severus' bed. I hoped his familiar scent would be enough to give me some hours of peaceful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say that I deeply appreciate the two reviews that I have received on this story. I hope you guys keep reading and review the story! Now back to the FanFic!**

**Chapter 9 Hogwarts Again**

I jerked awake panicking as a gentle hand touched my shoulder. My eyes fluttered closed again when I saw that it was Severus standing before me.

"Alice-Lily I know we're not home much but your bedroom is _upstairs_. This is _my_ bedroom." Severus told me sarcastically as he sat on the bed to take his shoes off. Maybe it was in the way I was clutching my toy hippogriff to my chest, or maybe it was the startled jerk I gave when he woke me, but something worried Severus enough for him to shake me awake again.

"Mmsleeeping." I mumbled repositioning myself so that my head was in his lap. An exasperated sigh passed his lips.

"Allison what's wrong? You're acting like a child. Did something happen while I was gone?" I looked up to see concern knit its way into his brow.

"I had a nightmare, couldn't sleep. I miss you." I wasn't even sure the sounds coming out of my mouth were words. Thankfully Severus understood enough of what I was saying to take pity on me. He scooped me up into his arms, carried me upstairs and tucked me into bed.

"Sleep tight Alice because I'm not going anywhere." He whispered as he kissed me on the forehead. I woke a few hours later my nightmare long forgotten as I stumbled down the stairs. Severus wasn't in the kitchen, his bedroom or the sitting room. Part of me thought he may have left again, but a short trip down to his potions lab proved me wrong.

"Good-Morning Professor Snape." I yawned. He looked up from the potions book he was reading and smiled.

"Good evening Miss Potter. I trust we're well rested after sleeping half the day away."

"Guess I was more tiered than I thought." I said scratching my head. "What are you brewing? Can I help?" I was expecting him to tell me it was extremely complicated for a foolish young girl who sleeps the day away and that I should go do some homework or feed the farm animals. I was pleasantly surprised by his response.

"Yes. If you can find me a Bezoar on the shelf over there, and start grinding it in this mortar, that would be helpful." I smiled it was the first time Severus had asked me to help him with a potion. The rest of the summer continued on much in the same way. I would help Severus with things around the house. We didn't stay at any of Severus' other houses, and he wasn't call away for any more _responsibilities._ My nightmare and the events of the World Cup were long forgotten as I enjoyed the best summer I had in years.

If I had learned anything by then, it was that all good things must come to an end, and that summer was no exception to the rule. From a young age until I was eleven the end of the summer meant saying good-bye to Severus while he went off to Hogwarts for months, while I stayed with Remus. After my eleventh birthday Serverus, Remus and I were able to spend the Hogwarts months together. We wouldn't enjoy that luxury this year, Remus quit his job at Hogwarts last year after the school found out that he was a werewolf. It was the morning of September first and I stood on Platform 9¾ Looking around for Harry or any of our friends.

"They may have already gotten on the train." Remus told me as he also looked around the platform. "I don't see Molly and Arthur anywhere."

"I suppose this is the closest we'll ever get to a normal family." I smiled up to Remus.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Here we are, looking for my friends, about to say good-bye while I go away to Hogwarts. It's the closest we'll ever get to being a normal family." Remus smiled to himself.

"I suppose you're right." He said. "Well are you ready to go?"

"My trunk's on the train, Apollo is secure in the owl cart, so I suppose there's really no reason not to." I wrapped my arms around Remus' waist, hugging him. "I'll miss you Remus, I promise to write you and I'm sure Severus will keep you informed about all the trouble I get into."

"Hopefully there won't be any trouble this year." He sighed. "See you at Christmas Holiday!" He called as I boarded the train.

"See you then!" I called back over my shoulder waving. The hallways and compartments of the train were crowded and it took me longer than usual to find Harry on the train.

"Looking for us?" My best friend squeaked from behind me.

"EMILY!" I tossed my arms around her neck. "It's good to see you."

"It's nice to see you too! Come on, everyone's in here." She said pulling me into a compartment. We survived the long trip from Platform 9¾ by sharing stories of our summer. Harry and Ron talked about their misadventures together at the Weasley's, Hermione about a trip to America with her family, and Emily her summer job. There were enough stories going around that I wasn't forced to participate too much.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much Lilian Hope Black for your review! Hope you are enjoying the series!**

**Chapter 10 The Welcome Feast**

When the Hogwarts Express came to a halt at the Hogsmeade station heavy rain was pounding down on the pavement. All over the platform students were scrabbling for shelter from the rain as they waited to load into carriages that would bring them to Hogwarts. It didn't take long for Harry, and Ron to secure a carriage for the rest of us. We clambered in, our wet shoes thoroughly soaking the floor.

"Blimey," Ron said shaking his head and sending water everywhere.

"Uh!" Emily, Hermione, and I shrieked as water droplets splashed throughout the tight space. We laughed attempting to dry our faces with shirtsleeves.

"If this keeps up the lake's going to overflow! Look at us, I'm soaked!" Ron said shaking his hair out once again.

"We've noticed." Harry said attempting to dry his glasses on his uniform shirt.

"Harry what's the point? They're just going to get wet again when we go outside." I told him. Harry heaved a great sigh.

"I suppose you're right. " Harry gave up trying to dry his glasses and instead stored them in his pocket. Soon enough our carriage gave a lurch forward and then came to a stop.

"Welcome home everyone!" Emily said as she swung the carriage door open. We raced from the carriage to the Hogwarts Entrance Hall mud staining our knee high socks and the bottoms of the boy's pants. Now the four of us joined Ron with shaking water from our hair. The smells of sweet sugar and savory meats were already filling the Entrance Hall.

"Smells like the feast will be delicious this year!" Emily exclaimed.

"Don't get too excited Em. We've still got to sit through the sorting of the first years." I reminded her. In a way I envied Emily's ability to become excited about simply anything.

"Honestly I find the sorting ceremony quite fascinating Alice." Hermione interjected as she scraped bits of mud from her shoe. I smiled knowing exactly why Hermione would think the sorting ceremony fascinating.

"Because the sorting hat knows everyone's full potential and deepest desires?" I asked trying to squeeze the last bits of rain from my hair.

"Exactly. It's just a deeply complex piece of magic." Hermione answered nodding as we made our way into the Great Hall.

"You'll have to forgive me for not appreciating every complex piece of magic that comes my way. Enjoy the sorting!" I called to her as she, Ron and Harry made their way towards the Gryffindor table.

"What's got you is such a foul mood Alice?" Emily asked as we crossed the room to the Slytherin table.

"More than usual you mean?" I asked her. I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe it's the weather." I suggested pointing up at the enchanted ceiling as it mimicked the angry rain outside.

"Or perhaps it's Professor Lupin's obvious absence from the staff table." Draco Malfoy my former best friend said over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes.

"To what do I owe this displeasure Malfoy?"

"Now, Alice I'm sure you can forgive me. The Hippogriff got away last year, no harm done!"

"No Harm done! Ha!" I laughed. "Do you not understand that if you hadn't…" But in that moment Professor Dumbledore asked the Great Hall to quiet down for the sorting ceremony. Emily and I took seats across from Draco far away from the head table. I dropped my voice to a low whisper. "It's not just about Buckbeak. What about when you knew Harry was at Hogsmeade, and you ratted him out to Professor Snape?"

"Allison, did you ever consider for one moment," Draco began as his voice too dropped to a whisper. "Did you ever think that I might actually be worried for your brother? He shouldn't have been in the village In the first place. If you weren't going to tell Professor Snape, someone should have." As mad as I wanted to be with him, it was hard to be mad at someone for caring. Being raised by a wizard spy I learned to take anything someone said with a grain of salt, but it would be impossible for me to stay mad at Draco forever. Both our lives depended on it, because of an unbreakable vow we had made in our second year, we had to stay friends. So as much as my better judgment argued against it, I extended my hand across the table.

"Friends?" I asked.

"As if we had a choice." He whispered back but reached across the table to shake anyway.

"We always have a choice." I whispered as we turned our attention to the sorting. My focus wasn't really on watching the first years being placed in one of the four houses. Instead it turned to Remus. When Draco pointed out his absence I hadn't been thinking of him, but now that I was thinking of it I couldn't help but miss him. I realized then that I had been taking advantage of Remus' presence at Hogwarts for the last three years. He was right last year when he said I had been pitting Severus and him against each other for my own benefit. I had always thought that was just what children did. At least Severus had worked at Hogwarts for years before I became a student. Remus on the other hand never really had the chance to be a teacher because he was always dealing with me and all the trouble Harry and I got into. Once the sorting was over the food for the feast appeared and my thoughts of Remus shifted to thoughts of dinner. By the time dinner had come to its end I was practically falling asleep on the Slytherin table. I probably would have if it weren't for the disapproving look Severus was giving me from across the room. From the pocket of my sweater I pulled out a piece of enchanted parchment that allowed me to communicate secretly with Severus.

_**Longest welcome feast of my life.**_ I scribbled down.

_It's almost over. I'm sure you can bare the next few moments. _Severus' elegant script replaced mine. _If I don't fall asleep before that. _I mumbled to myself. _What was that? _

_**How did you see that? You're across the room! **_

_Please pay attention to Professor Dumbledore._ I rolled my eyes, but I did look up from the parchment in time to see Professor Dumbledore make his way to the podium at the center of the head table.

"So," Dumbledore began. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include, Screaming yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office if anybody would like to check it. As ever I would like to remind you that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students as in the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

Hogwarts burst into angry shouts of protest at this statement. Draco and I among the loudest to protest. I assumed Dumbledore was playing some sort of trick on all of us, they wouldn't, no couldn't cancel quidditch.

_**Is he serious?**_

_Pay attention__. _I crossed my arms over my chest. That was Severus, always making me find things out the hard way. Dumbledore hold his hand up, waiting for the Great Hall to quiet down. Once the Hall was filled with only a few whispered voices he continued. "This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers time and energy, but I am sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this years at Hogwarts…" But Dumbledore's announcement was cut short with a deafening rumble of thunder as well as the doors of the great hall banging open.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 Dumbledore's Announcement **

As hundreds of students pivoted their heads towards the door, I craned my neck trying to see past Emily's big bouncing curls. A man stood in the doorway leaning on a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. He lowered his hood, shook out his long grizzled gray hair, and began to walk towards the staff's table.

_**Who is that?**_

_Remus' replacement._ I hadn't even noticed there was an empty chair at the head table. A dull clunk echoed through the Great Hall as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor made his way to Dumbledore. Every inch of his face seemed to be scarred, and a large chunk of his nose was missing, but it was his eyes that really made him frightening. One of them was small and dark, the other was large and a vivid electric blue. The blue eye moved constantly without blinking, rolling up and down, side to side and then it rolled over completely so all we could see what white.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Emily squeaked next to me.

"That's Mad-Eye Moody." Draco whispered from across the table. "He used to be an Auror, they're sort of like Dark Wizard catchers."

"What's he doing at a school?" I whispered back.

"Guess Dumbledore figured no one better to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts than of retired Auror."

"Suppose so." I answered shrugging my shoulders. Professor Dumbledore introduces Mad-Eye to the school and then continued on with his announcement.

"As I was saying we all have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Tri-Wizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year. Some of you will not know what this tournament involves , so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools for wizardry: Hogwarts, Beaubatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected from each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities. Until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"Did he just say death toll?" Emily asked fidgeting with her hands.

"What's life without a little risk?" Draco answered her laughing. Professor Dumbledore continued his announcement while Emily and Draco argued over a "healthy" ratio of safety and risk.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament none of which has been very successful. However our own Department of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find him or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their shortlisted contenders in October and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decided which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money. Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the Heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age, that is to say seventeen years or older, will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This is a measure we feel necessary given the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts Champion. I therefore beg you not to waits your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

"Finally!" I exclaimed rubbing my eyes and stretching my arms high over my head. "I thought we'd never get to bed."

"it's exciting though isn't it?" Draco asked as he walked with Emily and I to the Slytherin Dungeons.

"Draco, people have died!" Emily exclaimed.

"That's all part of the thrill." He told her. "What do you think Alice?"

"I think it doesn't matter what we think. There is no way any of us will get into the Triwizard tournament, so we might as well treat it as any other year, will a few international students. I yawned "Honestly I'm too tired to think right now, ask me again in the morning." Emily and I said goodnight to Draco before heading off to our dormitory and going to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 Mad-Eye Moody**

"So what are your thoughts on the Triwizard Tournament?" It was breakfast the next morning when Draco asked me this.

"No, good morning Alice? Glad that we're friends again I really missed you! Nope the first thing you say to me is 'what are your thoughts on the Triwizard Tournament'" I ranted as I searched a platter of danishes for an apple one.

"Someone's foul mood carried over from last night." Emily chanted as she spread a generous amount of butter on some waffles. I made a disapproving face at the pair of them.

"And to think I call you two my friends." I gave up on my search for an apple danish and instead started applying butter to my own set of Waffles. "I think, it is only the first day back and I am already sick of hearing about this Quidditch killing Triwizard Tournament. Emily brought up a good point last night, people have died in this thing. Anyone of age would be stupid to enter themselves."

"How very wise of you Miss Potter." I made a series of quiet grumbles as Severus approached Draco, Emily, and I with our schedules. Naturally Severus would have something to say about the Triwizard Tournament and I'm sure it included something about discouraging me from having any involvement in it. "I'm assuming you've worded your statement to include only students of age, because Professor Dumbledore made it very clear that anyone below the age of 17 is strictly prohibited from entering the tournament. Then again when has anything being strictly prohibited ever stopped a Potter?" Severus narrowed his eyes at me. It was his way of warning me that I better not even dream of trying to enter the tournament.

"You don't have to worry Professor Snape, I want no part of this stupid event. Especially without Professor Lupin to keep me in line this year, I've decide to be a model student." I wasn't sure if he could I was mocking him or not, either way Severus was finished with our conversation and he continued to moved down the Slytherin table without another word. "Well where are we off to first?" I asked looking down at the parchment in my hands. "Seriously History of Magic first thing in the morning? When I find whoever it is who makes our schedules…" Only a few feet down the table Severus turned in my direction.

"Miss Potter, as Head of Slytherin house, I prepare the schedules of all Slytherin students." His eyes narrowed at me again, "Any complaints regarding schedules should be addressed to me. Now what seems to be the problem?" The four foot span of students between me and where Severus now stood were staring at me. I grumbled. It was really tiring that everything I said put me at the center of attention.

"Nothing sir, I'm just in a bad mood this morning." I tried to send him a look that said _this isn't over yet._

"I can see that. The former Professor Lupin may allow these moody outbursts at his breakfast table, but I can assure you, Miss Potter, that such behavior is not acceptable for any Hogwarts student. Perhaps while our international guests are here you might wish to refrain from such eruptions at breakfast." Severus stalked away advancing further down the Slytherin table. I wanted to shout something about his own poor manners but I knew that wasn't an option so I resorting to pouting my way through the rest of breakfast. Once it became apparent that Professor Binns' lesson would be completely off topic from the actual subject of History of Magic I decided to sleep through the remainder of the class. Following History of Magic fourth year Slytherins had Care Of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors. Of Course the first thing Ron and Harry wanted to talk about was the Triwizard Tournament.

"Fred and George are already thinking of ways to bribe the judge." Ron said as we got to work on Hagrid's lesson.

"Naturally. Do Fred and George ever do anything by the books? It's almost as if they are determined to be the most, I don't know…"

"I know what you mean." Emily chimed in. "It's like they go out of their way to get into trouble."

"Must be a twin thing." Hermione huffed.

"Hey!" Harry and I called out.

"Alice and I don't go looking for trouble!"

"Yeah it just always seems to find us at the least convenient times." Hermione didn't seem to believe that everything Harry and I had dome was completely unavoidable but she said nothing more on the subject as we left Hagrid's lesson. I pulled my schedule out of my backpack to see where our next lesson was. "Looks like we're off to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Us as well." Harry said reading Hermione's schedule over her shoulder.

"We might as well get going." I sighed. We slowly made our way across the school grounds and to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Mad-eye was already waiting. The six of is found seats easily enough. Ron, Harry and Hermione sat in the front row while Emily Draco and I sat directly behind them. "_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection."_ I said reading the title of our text book out loud as I placed it on the desk.

"You can put those away." Moody Growled as he dragged is wooden leg across the room to sit as his desk. "Those books, you won't need them." Hermione and I exchanged a worried look but we put away our books with the rest of the class. Emily leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"This is either going to be really boring or really exciting." I nodded in agreement as we turned our attention to Professor Moody's twisted scarred face.

"Right then, I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty through grounding in tackling Dark Creatures. You've covered Boggarts, Red Caps, Hinkupunks, Grindylows, Kappas and Werewolves, is that right? Miss Potter?"

"Yes Sir."

"But you're behind, very behind on dealing with curses." Moody told us. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark…"

"What aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out. Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron, and after a moment he smiled.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh? Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago. Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore, one year and then back to my quite retirement." He then let out a harsh laugh and clapped his gnarled hands together. "So straight into it, Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away Miss Brown when I'm talking."

Lavender Brown jumped in her seat as the rest of the class turned to the back of the room facing her. She had been showing Parvati Patil something under her desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood as well as the back of his head. Satisfied that he had thoroughly embarrassed Lavender, Mad-eye continued on with his lesson. "So do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizard law?" Several hands shot into the air, surprisingly among them was Ron. Moody pointed to Ron but his magical eye stayed focused on Lavender.

"Well my dad told me about one it's called the Imperius Curse or something?"

"Ah yes. Your father would _know_ that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse." Moody stood and took out a glass jar from his desk. Inside the glass jar three large black spiders scuttled around inside it. He reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders and held it in the palm of his hand so the entire class could see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered "_Imperio!"_ The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine threat of silk and began to swing backward and forward as if it were on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly then did a back flip, breaking the threat and landing on the desk where it began to cartwheel in circles . Moody jerked his wand and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into a tap dance. Everyone was laughing that is everyone except Professor Moody.

"Think it's funny do you?" He growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?" As if instantly the laughter died away. "Total control." Moody said as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats. Years back there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act and who was acting of their own free will. The Imperious Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody barked as he picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar. "Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?" Once again several hand shot into the air, surprisingly one of those hands belonged to the shy Gryffindor Neville Longbottom. Neville usually only answered questions asked in Herbology, his strongest subject.

"Yes?" Mad-eye asked his magical eye leaving Lavender to roll over at Neville.

"There's one…the Cruciatus Curse."

"You're name's Longbottom?" Moody asked reading his attendance sheet again. While Neville nodded nervously Moody reached into the jar again for another spider.

"The Cruciatus Curse needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea." He said pointing his wand at the spider. _"Engorgio!" _The spider swelled until it was larger than a tarantula. Ron, who had a deathly fear of spiders, pushed his chair back far away from Moody's desk. Professor Moody raised his wand again pointing it at the spider. "_Crucio!"_ The spider's legs bent up into its body, rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking form side to side. Within seconds the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently. Emily, who hated to see anything suffer, cried out.

"Stop it!" I turned to her expecting to see her looking at the spider, but instead her eyes were focused on Neville. Neville's hands were clenched on the desk, and his knuckles were white, his eyes wide and horrified. Professor Moody broke the spell, reduced the spider back to its natural size and put it back in the jar.

"Pain. You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse. That one was popular once too. Right, anyone know any others." I closed my eyes and raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" I opened my eyes to seen only four or five other hands in the air. Biting my lip, I whispered "_Avada Kedavra." _

"Ah." Mad-eye's mouth twisted into a wicked smile. "Yes the last and Worst. _Avada Kedavra,_ the killing curse." Once the third spider was placed on the top of Moody's desk it began scrambling frantically as if aware of its fate. Moody raised his wand and roared "_Avada Kedavra!" _There was a flash of blinding green light and instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back dead. "Not nice, not pleasant. And there's not countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only two known people have ever survived it and they are both sitting right here in front of me." Moody's "normal" eye starred at Harry while the magical one swiveled in my direction. I didn't have to look around the room to know that once again all eyes were on Harry and I. I felt like I was going to be sick. Severus and Remus had told me from a young age that my parents had died at the hands of a dark wizard but they never told me it was like that. They had never told me everything could be lost as quickly as a flash of green light. The world was spinning like a Merry-go-round that's too fast to stop. I wanted to bolt from the room, but feared Moody's reaction far too much. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me act out. I inhaled a deep quite breath and tried to focus on what Moody was saying next. "_Avada_ _Kedavra_'s a curse that needsd a powerful bit of magic behind it. You could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get as much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter, I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? _Because you've got to know_, you've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared again making the whole class jump out of their skin. "Now those three curses, _Avada Kedavra, Imperius, _and_ Cruciatus_ use any one of them on a fellow human being and it's enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all you need to practice. _Constant never-ceasing vigilance._ Get out your quills, copy this down."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 Severus' Advice **

We spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses and there was not even a whisper from class. When the bell rang to signal the end of class I took my full opportunity to race for the door. It seemed the only person who had beaten me out of the room was Neville. He was standing alone in the middle of the hallway just staring at one of the brick walls.

"Neville?" I asked putting my hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Neville took in a deep breath before answering me. When his did speak his voice was much higher than usual.

"Oh Hello Alice. Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wondered what's for dinner, I'm starving aren't you?"

"Neville it's lunch time." but before I could say more Emily, Draco and Hermione joined us in the hallway.

"Oh Alice there you've gone!" Ron called from further down the hall with Harry at his side.

"Neville are you alright?" Emily asked "You left your book in the classroom." She smiled as she handed him his textbook.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." He answered her in the same unnaturally high voice. "Forgetful as usual, very interesting lunch, I mean lesson, what's for eating?"

"Are you sure you're…" Hermione began before a distinctive clunking noise began to echo down the hall. Professor Moody came limping towards us and we grew silent.

"It's alright sonny." She said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on we can have a cup of tea." Neville looked as if Professor Moody was the last person he wished to have tea with and I couldn't blame him. Moody's magical eye eerily swirled back and forth between Harry and I before pausing on me.

"You alright are you Potter?"

"Yes." I answered in a convincingly normal tone. The scary blue eye lolled around again as Moody spoke to the group of us. "You've got to know it seems harsh, maybe, but _you've got to know._ No point pretending well, come on Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you." Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, with Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

"What was that all about?" Draco asked.

"I don't know." Hermione said as if trying to shake the whole event from her head.

"He forgot his book again." Emily said holding out Neville's textbook again. "Could one of you make sure he gets it?"

"Yes." Hermione answered putting the book in her backpack among several others.

"Shall we head off to lunch?" Ron asked leading the way to the Great Hall.

"Is everything about food with you?" Harry asked, Ron simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Some lesson though eh?" He interjected as if trying to change the subject. Emily, Hermione and Ron became engaged in a long discussion about the excitement of the lesson and how much trouble Dumbledore could get into if the Ministry found out he had allowed Professor Moody to show us the Unforgivable Curses. Only Draco, Harry and I seemed to be in deep thought about the actual curses themselves. When we reached the Great Hall we waved off out three favorite Gryffindors assuring them that we would see them in afternoon charms class.

"Are you two alright?" Emily asked once the three of us found seats at the Slytherin table. Draco mumbled something about having a lot on his mind and I uttered a similar response while neither of us looked up from our shoes to answer. After a few minutes Draco at least made an effort to start a conversation with Emily. I on the other hand continued to stare of in space still scared to death of the power of the Three Unforgivables. I passed through the rest of the day like a ghost. I went to all of my classes, and even dinner, but I didn't participate in any discussions or cause any trouble. My bad mood from that morning had been replaced with a strong sense of disconnection from the world. Emily asked me several more times that day if I was alright and I tried to sound convincing but I knew she could see right through my lie. When she asked again during dinner I constructed a more elaborate lie.

"I haven't been feeling well since this morning. I think that's why I started the day off in such a bad mood." I told her knowing she'd remember my angry outbursts at breakfast. "I think after dinner I'm going to pay a visit to the Hospital Wing, see if there's anything Madame Pomfrey can do. I'm sure I'll feel better after that."

"Well, if there's anything I can do, all you have to do is ask." She told me smiling.

"Thanks Em. Don't wait up ok? I don't know how long I'll be."

"Ok." Once dinner was over I headed off in the direction of the Hospital Wing once I was sure I had given Draco and Emily enough time to make their way down to the Slytherin common room, I doubled back and made my way into the dungeons heading for Severus' office. When I reached the office door I gently knocked hoping Severus was alone. His usual low tone called through the door.

"Enter." I cautiously opened the door my mind reeling trying to think of a good excuse for visiting in case Severus was not alone. Someone was standing with Severus in his office and I was instantly relieved to see that it was only Draco.

"Good evening Miss Potter. Please have a seat while I finish my discussion with young Mister Malfoy."

"It's alright Professor I believe you've answered my question. I'm sure Alice has something important to talk to you about, I'll see you both tomorrow." Draco said excusing himself from the room. Once the door of the office clicked shut Severus sat in the chair behind his desk and stared at me expectantly. When a beat passed and neither of us spoke, Severus broke the silence with a question.

"Yes?"

"Yes what?" I asked "I haven't said anything yet."

"I meant yes, as in _what are you doing in my office?_ You know this may be the first time you've come to visit my office voluntarily without some sort of punishment hanging over your head." For once Severus' no-nonsense attitude was almost comforting.

"You sound like Remus. He used to always say I never visited his office when I wasn't in trouble." I heaved a sigh. "I suppose he wasn't wrong."

"Allison it's the first day of classes, short of flying a car into the Whomping Willow what could you have possibly done already?" A small smiled passed through my lips as I remembered my second year at Hogwarts. During the Welcome feast Harry and Ron had in fact flown Mr. Weasley's flying car into the Whomping Willow that rested on the Hogwarts grounds.

"It may surprise you Professor Snape, but for the first time, this Potter does not find herself in your office because of any trouble she has gotten herself into."

"What about trouble someone else got her into?" Severus chuckled at his own joke. "Because as I'm often told trouble is unavoidable for you lot." I smiled again, but when I remembered my reason for coming to Severus my smile faded away again.

"Fourth year Slytherins had Professor Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts today."

"Yes. Draco mentioned that to me as well. What brings you down here tonight, the absence of your Uncle, or the…uncomfortable subject matter included in today's lesson."

"The second one." I answered looking at the floor. "Don't get me wrong, I miss Remus, I really do." I told him as I looked into his dark eyes. "Last night at the feast I couldn't help but feel like I took advantage of Remus while he was here at Hogwarts. That's part of the reason I was still in a foul mood this morning at breakfast, but I was mostly over it but the time we got to Care of Magical Creatures. Then we had Moody...and now I'm just as mess again."

"Why don't you start off by telling me exactly what happened in class today. Draco's account was vague and difficult to understand." I recounted Mad-Eye's entire lesson concluding with the Neville joining him for tea. Once I was finished Severus leaned back into his chair. "I see." It was hard explaining things to Severus. I could recount events to him without difficulty, but unlike Remus, Severus always had difficulty understanding how the events made me feel.

"Maybe it's no big deal." I began, pausing to take in a deep breath. "But seeing those curses like that…I've always known dark magic existed, but until today it wasn't in my face. I've always seen the beautiful things magic can do, I underestimated just how powerful it can be, and honestly that scares me to death. The idea that a life can be taken faster than a flash of green light…or that the most painful torture can be summoned with one word. I've always known we've lived in a dangerous word, but I never understood how dangerous until today. I must sound so stupid to you. Of course you know what it's like out there. It's the sort of thing you deal with all day. You put yourself in danger everyday just to protect me. Me, a silly girl who treats that sacrifice like it was nothing." I was a hysterical, sobbing mess. I was talking too fast and my words were blending together, while salt water rolled down my face. Severus rose from his desk, quietly and quickly. He sat in the chair on the side of me placing my hands inside one of his larger ones. Using the sleeve of his free hand Severus wiped away some of my tears away before speaking.

"Allison listen to me." He looked into my eyes, something he very seldom did. Sweeping some hair from my face he continued. "Allison Lillian Potter, yes life is dangerous and my life may be more dangerous than some, but danger is just a part of life. Everything in life comes with a price, some are easier paid than others, but without great risk there cannot be great accomplishments. One of the things I've always admired about you is your constant determination to do the right thing. You often go about "the right thing" in the wrong way, but you are doing the right thing, and I hope that never changes about you." I smiled again, drying my last few tears.

"You should know I've learned everything about right and wrong from you." Allowing a genuine smile to escape him, Severus stood and became his usual composed self.

"I know a certain Potions Master who has a fourth year double potions lesson first thing tomorrow morning, and he's going to have nothing to teach if he can't finished up his lesson plans tonight." I laughed.

"I know a certain Potter who wouldn't mind if their Potions Professor forgot to plan a lesson and was forced to cancel class."

"When did we start talking about your brother?" Serverus asked dipping his quill in a bottle of ink.

"Another failed attempt at comedy Professor Snape. Come on Sev, what do you say to a round of hot cocoa and _then_ you can work on your lesson plans?" Severus looks up from his lessons and seemed to be honestly debating the option in his head. He paused for several seconds before answering.

"One cup, and then you're off to bed."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 The** **Imperius Curse**

The next few weeks passed without much to report. Fourth year lessons proved to be much more difficult than those of the past three years. Mostly due to the fact that during a wizards fifth year in school they took the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations than anything else. All of the Professors wanted us to be prepared for the OWLs next year and so they began to push us harder than in the past. No subject was more challenging than Defense Against the Dark Arts. Two weeks into class Professor Moody announced he would be putting each of us under the Imperius Curse so that he could properly demonstrate the power of the curse. I almost vomited at the idea no one needed to demonstrate the power of the Unforgivable Curses to me. Especially not after the first lesson with the spiders but I was determined to follow Severus' advice and not let the dark side of magic cloud my better judgment. Instead, when Moody asked for a volunteer to begin cursing I shot my hand high in the air. I needed to prove to both Moody and myself that I would not be scared away so easily.

"_Imperio!"_

At first being under the curse was a wonderful feeling. Everything was foggy, but I also was free of thought and worry. There was nothing in my head but a vague, untraceable happiness. I stood in the center of the room completely relaxed, despite knowing everyone in the classroom had their eyes on me. And then intruding on my thoughtlessness was Mad-Eye's gruff voice echoing the words _Jump onto the desk._ The phrase repeated itself over and over again. _Jump onto the desk_ … _Jump onto the desk…_ _Jump onto the desk. _I felt my knees buckling in obedience as if preparing to jump, but another voice began fight for space inside my brain. _Why though? Stupid thing to do really._

_Jump onto the desk…Jump onto the desk…Jump onto the desk…_

_No, I don't think I will, thanks._ The other voice answered firmly.

_Jump onto the desk…Jump onto the desk…Jump onto the desk…_

_No, I don't really want to…_

_Jump! NOW! _The next thing I knew I was sprawled out on the floor with a pain on my forhead. Sitting up I put my hand on the spot where the pain was coming from, it was warm and wet. Pulling my hand away I saw it was covered in blood. In appeared I had both tried to jump and prevent myself from jumping at the same time, causing me to only knock my head on the nearest desk and twist my ankle. I was in pain, but I scanned the room for Moody. He was standing to my right beaming as if proud of himself, no proud of me.

"Well done Miss Potter. Class what happened her, is Miss Potter fought. She fought it and damn near beat it! Excellent work Miss Potter. Five points to Slytherin. Very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you! Who's next?" By the end of the lesson only Harry and I were able to even attempt to fight off the Imperius Curse. Though Moody was disappointed in the majority of the class he seemed exceptionally proud that Harry and I were able to accomplish the little that we could.

"The way he talks," Harry muttered nursing a bruised elbow as our group made its way out of the classroom. "You'd think we were all going to be attacked an second."

"Yeah, I know." I replied as I limped along with my twisted ankle. "The least he could have done was fix this!" I exclaimed gesturing towards my foot. "Who wants to accompany me while I limp my way to the Hospital Wing before lunch?"

"Miss Potter, Mr. Potter I see you two have sustained injuries. Might I ask which piece of school equipment you've broken to earn such wounds?" If Severus had any genuine concern for Harry and I, he was not showing it on his face. Then again part of that could be due to the completely uncalled for death stare Severus was getting from Harry.

"Nothing too painful Professor." I reassured him. "Fourth year Defense Against the Dark Arts is learning to defend ourselves against the Imperius Curse. While trying to beat the curse, I've earned myself a gash to the forehead, and a twisted ankle. Harry's got a bruised elbow, and he's twisted his nose up a bit, but I think no Hogwarts equipment was harmed."

"If you wish I could take care of those small things for you. Madam Pomfrey is mostly likely already on her way down to lunch."

"Might as well." I whispered to Harry. "No sense in us going all the way there when Snape can take care of it. It's nothing that really involves any complicated bits of magic." Harry grumbled something about there being worse ways to die, and in the end allowed Severus to patch him up.

"Thanks Professor Snape!" I said once we were repaired.

"Don't mention it." Severus growled before stalking off.

"That was weird." Ron interjected.

"Yeah wonder what he's playing at." Harry agreed.

"Maybe he wants us at full strength so he can poison us later!" I said joking around.

"Yeah!" Ron agreed, not getting the joke. When we arrived in the Entrance Hall there was an unusually high volume of students crowded around a large sign that had recently been placed by the doors of the Great Hall. It took several minutes for the Entrance Hall to clear out enough that we could read the sign. Even then we had to each stand on tiptoe to see over the heads of a group of first years.

**TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT**

_The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30__th__ of October. Lessons will end half an Hour Early. Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guest before the Welcome Feast._

"Brilliant! It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!" Harry smiled referencing my earlier joke.

"We do have another potions lesson before Friday." I reminded him. Harry swatted his hand as if waving that idea off.

"Yeah but it's the first class in the morning there's no way he'd have time to make the poison."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 Harry's Concerns**

A week or two later I felt someone grip my arm as I was leaving Transfigurations. "Alice, can I talk to you about something?"

"Uh sure Harry, give me a sec." I looked over my shoulder at Emily, who was still in the classroom with Professor McGonagall. "Hey Em Harry and I are heading out, I'll see you back in the common room ok?"

"That's fine!" She called across the room before returning to her conversation with McGonagall. It was obvious to me that Harry wanted us to talk alone and he wanted to talk somewhere that we couldn't be overheard.

"Should we head for the lake?" I asked him.

"We don't need to go that far, but it'd be nice to get outside for a few minutes." Once Harry was satisfied with the distance we had put between ourselves and the castle he pulled out a letter from his pocket. "Over the summer, I had this really terrible nightmare about…" Harry looked around again making sure we were alone. "Voldemort. There was this house, and Pettigrew was there with a third man. In my nightmare they killed a muggle. I know it sounds crazy but…" I stopped him.

"Harry it doesn't sound crazy because I had the same nightmare. I was really freaked out at first, but I didn't say anything to Remus because I had completely forgotten about it until now. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"Not quite." He answered. "When I woke up from the nightmare there was this white hot pain where my lightning bolts scar is. I told Ron about my dream and my scar, and he told me to write to Sirius about it, so I did. The first week of school he sent me this." Harry handed me his letter from Sirius.

_Harry-_

_I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar and this nightmare are the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore. They say he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. I'll be in touch soon. My best to Alice, Ron, and Hermione. Keep your eyes open Harry. –Sirius_

"Reading the signs?" I asked looking up from the letter.

"Sirius thinks it's only a matter of time before Voldemort rises to power again."

"But Harry, you were there, we defeated him our first year. He's gone."

"If that were true, why would his supporters be out torturing muggles at the World Cup?" Harry knew I didn't have an answer to his question so he brought the subject back to Sirius. "I'm worried about him coming so close. When he wrote that he was heading back this way I wrote to him again. I tried to convince him that I was fine, and that there was no point in coming back. He didn't seem convinced." Harry handed me a second letter which I unfolded and read.

_Nice try Harry._

_I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hgowarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just keep watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. –Sirius_

In a way I had no idea what Harry was going through, but I could also understand how he was feeling. "Harry, Sirius is right. I understand that you're worried about him, but he is an adult. I'm sure Sirius is more than capable of taking care of himself." It seemed ironic to me that I was telling Harry not to worry about Sirius when I worried most about Severus and Remus, who like Sirius were fully grown adults perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. "Look, I worry about Remus all the time, especially during the full moon and now that he's not here at Hogwarts he's always on the back of my mind. But I know that the best thing we can do is try to make them proud."

"You think he's going to be ok?" Harry asked his emerald eyes seemed to be brimming with tears.

"I think he knows what he's gotten himself into."

"I suppose you're right. We should head back into the castle."

"Yeah I'd hate to be late for Herbology. And Harry,"

"Yeah?"

"I just want you to know, you can talk to me about anything."

"Thanks Alice."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 Beaubatons, Durmstrang, and the Goblet of Fire**

October 30th came quickly enough. At forty-five minutes past five I joined the rest of Hogwarts in full uniform on the grounds. While we waited for other schools to arrive the Heads of House were walking through the crowd of students inspecting uniforms and making sure everyone looked respectable. Once they finished we were lined up in alphabetical order by year, and last name.

"How do you think they'll arrive?" Padma Patil asked her twin sister Parvati.

"Maybe the train?" Parvarti suggested.

"Unlikely." I told them.

"Maybe by broom?" Harry suggested looking up at the sky.

"Not from that far away!" Ron called from further down the line. "A Portkey maybe. Or they could Apparate, maybe they're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from?"

"Ron, you can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, How many times does someone have to remind you of that?" It was a few minutes past six now and the sky was beginning to darkening quickly, and then Professor Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other Professors.

"Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches."

"Where?" Harry whispered in my ear.

"There." I answered pointing over to the Forbidden Forest. From the tops of the trees a gigantic powder blue horse drawn carriage the size of a large house soared towards us, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses each the size of an elephant. Horse hooves the size of dinner plates landed on the ground, and within seconds the carriage landed too. A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage and unfolded a set of golden steps. The carriage door opened and from it emerged a high-heeled black shoe the size of a child's sled. The great size of the carriage was immediately explained by the giant woman who exited it.

"She can't be much larger than Hagrid." Ron whispered from down the line. Dumbledore started a slow clap which was quickly taken up by the rest of Hogwarts. A smile spread across the giant's face as she extended her hand to Dumbledore. Dumbledore though tall himself barely had to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime." Dumbledore began. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumby-dorr, I 'ope I find you well." Madame Maxime said in a deep voice.

"In excellent form, I thank you." Dumbledore told her smiling.

"My pupils." Madam Maxime said waving one of her enormous hands. About a dozen students stood behind her both boys and girls. They were shivering which was no surprise as their robes were made of a fine silk and none of them were wearing traveling cloaks. Many of them were staring at the Hogwarts castle with apprehensive looks on their face.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked again.

"He should be here any moment." Dumbledore answered her. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up I think." Madame Maxime answered him. "But ze 'orses…"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them." Professor Dumbledore gestured in Hagrid's direction and he stepped forward to introduce himself to Madame Maxime.

"My steeds require forceful 'andling and zey will only drink single-malt whiskey." Once Madame Maxime was satisfied with Hagrid's ability to care for her enormous horses she instructed her students to follow her inside the castle. Now that night had fallen the temperature had dropped a few degrees I almost envied the students of Beauxbatons who were certainly much warmer than us.

"Anyone else hear that?" George Weasley called from the line of 6th years.

"Sounds like it's coming from the lake, George." Fred answered on the side of him. Students began craning their necks trying to listen for any watery sounds.

"It is the lake!" a first year called out pointing downhill towards the lake. The usually smooth surface of the lake was suddenly not smooth at all. Large bubbles were splashing over on the muddy banks of the lake, and then in the middle of the lake a whirlpool appeared. A long black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool. "It's a mast!" someone called out. Slowly a magnificent ship rose out of the water gleaming in the moonlight. There was a great sloshing noise and the ship emerged completely, bobbing up and sailing towards the banks of the lake. This was followed by the slash of an anchor being thrown down and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank. People were disembarking , and soon we were greeted by a group of students covered in Shaggy fur cloaks.

"Dumbledore!" Came a hearty call from the Durmstrang headmaster. "How are you my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming thank you, Professor Karkaroff." Like Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff was tall and thin, but his white hair was short and where Dumbledore had a full beard, he had only a small goatee. When he reached Professor Dumbledore, he took one of Dumbledore's hand and shook it with two of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts." He said looking up at the castle and smiling. Though Professor Karkaroff was smiling his eyes remained cold. It reminded me of how Severus never truly smiled, which only made me wonder what this man has seen to earn such a cold view of the world. "How good it is to be here, how good. Viktor come along, into the warmth. You don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold." Turning towards his students Karkaroff called forward one of them. I expected Ron to let out a squeal when Viktor Krum passed by to enter the castle. The rest of Durmstrang followed behind Krum and his headmaster. Once all the visiting students were inside, Professor Dumbledore ordered us inside to our house tables. While we waited to file into the school Ron ran over and punched Harry in the arm with excitement.

"Krum Harry! Viktor Krum!" Ron was bouncing on his toes trying to see through the crowd.

"Ron, he's already inside you won't see him from here." Emily tried reasoning. "Besides he's only a quidditch player."

"_Only a Quidditch player?_ Emily he is only the best seeker in the world. I had no idea he was still in school."

"Really? Ron I'm sure he just wants to be treated like any other student." Poor Emily didn't see she was fighting a losing battle with Ron.

"I'm sure that when you're famous you love to be the center of attention!" Harry and I exchanged a disapproving look that Ron didn't seem to notice. Emily opened her mouth again trying to rebuttal Ron's last point. I placed my hands on her small shoulders and tried to direct her towards the Slytherin table.

"Come on Em, I'm starved."

"Me too Ron, let's see if we can get Krum to sit at our table." Harry smiled try to move Harry towards the Gryffindor table.

"Oh Ron is not going to like this." Emily whispered as she pointed to the other end of the table.

"Is that, Krum sitting with Draco?" I asked her as we sat down.

"Looks like it." She answered. "I wonder where they're all going to sleep."

"I don't know. Hey Em check out Filtch."

"Ew gross Alice you like him!" Emily squealed.

"No, no!" I squirmed shaking my head. "I meant look at what he's doing. There's only two visiting headmasters, so why is Filtch adding four chairs to the head table?" Emily simply shrugged.

"Maybe they're for the judges of the tournament?" The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang began to fill into empty spaces at any of the Hogwarts house tables. Once students from all three schools were seated, Professor Dumbledore, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff came walking in. When their Headmistress appeared the students from Beaubatons leapt do their feet and did not sit down again until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing as the Great Hall fell silent.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and most particularly, guest. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hgowarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feat. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!" As always happened at any Hogwarts feast food magically appeared on serving plates along the five long wooden tables, and students began digging in as if they had never seen anything so wonderful. Several courses later Professor Dumbledore stood again to address the hall. An exciting tension filled the room as he began to speak. "The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few worlds of explanation before we bring in the casket. Just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first let me introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"That explains the extra chairs then." Emily chirped as if she had solved the greatest mystery of all time.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament. And they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. The casket then, if you please, Mr. Filtch." Filtch who had been lurking in a far corner of the Great Hall now approached Dumbledore carrying a large wooden chest encrusted with jewels, it looked extremely old. "The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman." Dumbledore said as Filtch placed the chest carefully on the table before him. "And they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways. Their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction and of course, their ability to cope with danger. As you know three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: The Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times on the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, wooden chalice which would have been mistaken as any ordinary cup if it weren't for the fact that the Goblet of Fire was literally filled to the brim with blue-white flames. Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it could be seen by the entire Hall. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves as a champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween night the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy of representing their schools. The Goblet will be placed in the Entrance Hall tonight where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to complete. To ensure that no underage students yield to temptation," At that Dumbledore paused and looked directly at Fred and George Weasley. "I will be drawing an age line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obligated to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure therefore, that you have wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now I think it's time for bed. Goodnight to you all."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 Allison Potter**

The next morning was Saturday, and I tried without luck to sleep in that morning knowing that I could catch a late Breakfast. Emily apparently had other plans for our Saturday.

"I wonder how many people have already put their names into the Goblet of Fire." I rolled my eyes as she bounced up the stairs for the dungeons and we made our way into the Entrance Hall.

"Honestly I just want this whole tournament to go away."

"Oh where's your sense of adventure!"

"Adventure?" I chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. The first night of school, you were the one talking about death tolls and danger, now you, Miss Emily Smith, live for adventure? I'll believe that when I see it flying through the sky on a thestral."

"I don't know what makes you so grumpy about it. It's not like you're being expected to participate at all."

"I guess you're right. When they announce the Hogwarts champion at the Halloween Feast tonight, I'll be completely supportive of whoever they are."

"That's the spirit!" She said smiling. "Hey is that Fred and George?" Standing just outside the golden age line were indeed both Fred and George. Right behind them stood by brother and his two best friends.

"Let's see what that lot is up to." I told her pulling her towards them by her arm. "And what sort of trouble have you two gotten yourselves into?"

"We've done it." George said as he leaned over and whispered in my ear."Just taken it." I looked around our small group everyone looked just as confused as I felt.

"What?" Ron asked his brother.

"The Aging Potion dung Brains." Fred told him.

"One drop each." George told us proudly, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"I'm not sure this is going to work you know." Hermione said disapprovingly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this." But the twins ignored her.

"Ready Fred?"

"Ready George." Fred held up a slip of paper high above his head. He stepped through the age line without hesitation. For a second it seemed as if Fred and George had actually pulled it off. Together they let out a triumphant yell slapping each other a high five, but their celebration was short lived. As quick as a blink of an eye, there was a loud sizzling sound and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle. They landed ten feet away on the stone floor, followed by a loud popping sound as Fred and George grew identical long white beards. The Entrance Hall rang with laughter including Fred and George once they got a good look at themselves.

"I did warn you." Dumbledore's wise voice spoke as he came into the Entrance Hall from the Great Hall. His blue eyes twinkled as he eyed George and Fred. "I suggest you both go to Madame Pomfrey. She's already tending to Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw and Mr. Summer of Hufflepuff both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is as fine as yours!" Fred and George made their way to the Hospital Wing, while the rest of us made our way into Breakfast. Is it had turned out the reason Emily had wanted to start the day so early, was because she desperately needed help with a potions essay that was due the coming week. It should have come as no surprise to me that though I had tried to hide my gift for potions, it was clear that I was rather good in the subject. Emily and I spent most of our day in the library working on the ever increasing pile of homework we had carelessly built up. About half way through the day Hermione joined us, her pile of homework being much smaller and much less neglected. The three of us walked down to the Halloween Feast together. As was always the case on Halloween night students were allowed to sit at any of the four house tables. This year, the tables were more diverse than ever with spots of Powder blue and bright red mixed among the Hogwarts uniforms. The three of us joined Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table where they already sat next to Fred and George.

When as last the golden plates were cleared of food, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. "The Goblet is almost ready to make its decision." Dumbledore stated. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now when the champion's names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber." He indicated the door behind the staff table where students who are about to be sorted usually wait. "From there they will wait to receive their first instructions." Dumbledore took out his wand and with a great sweeping wave extinguished most of the candles in the Great Hall, putting the room in an eerie state of semidarkness. Everyone watched as the Goblet of Fire floated into the room is blue-white flame sparkling in the darkness. The goblet came to stop before Professor Dumbledore before its blue-white flame erupted into a deep red. A Tongue of flame shot into the air and a charred piece of parchment fluttered from it. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length so he could read it by the light of the flames.

"The Champion for Durmstrang," He read in a strong clear voice, "Will be Viktor Krum."

"No Surprise there!" Ron shouted over the storm of applause and chanting that occupied the Great Hall. Krum rose from the Slytherin table, walked up to Dumbledore then passed along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

"Bravo Viktor!" Karkaroff boomed loudly so that everyone could hear him. "I knew you had it in you!" It didn't take long for the clapping to die down because only seconds after Viktor left, the goblet turned red and propelled a second piece of parchment from its mouth.

"The Champion from Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delecour!" A beautiful girl with silvery blonde hair made her way to Professor Dumbledore by sweeping down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed." Hermione said nodding to the Ravenclaw table where many of the Beauxbatons girls were seated. Disappointed was an understatement, the Beauxbatons students looked positively devastated. One girl completely lost her composure and was sobbing with her head in her hands. Once Fleur Delecour disappeared the entire hall was silent. It was time for Professor Dumbledore to announce the Hogwarts Champion.

"I wonder who it will be!" Emily squealed with glee as all eyes turned again to the jet of red flame.

"The Hogwarts Champion is," Dumbledore paused as if trying to create a dramatic effect. "Cedric Diggory."

"No!" Ron shouted angrily but his sentiment was shared by few if any, as nearly all of Hogwarts burst into joyful calls and applause. Even long after Cedric has disappeared from the room, it took time before Dumbledore could reclaim the room's attention.

"Merlin please everyone stop clapping so we can go to bed and this whole champion thing can be over with." I stated crossing my arms over my chest.

"You said you'd be supportive Alice! Be happy for Cedric, we could of had someone much worse as our champion." Emily scolded me.

"I wanted to tell Emily that she only felt that way because she thought Cedric was cute, but Dumbledore had finally reclaimed the attention of the room and I did not want to distract him from dismissing us for bed.

"Excellent!" He called out happily when the noise died down. "Well we have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to give your champions ever once of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real…" But Dumbledore suddenly stopped talking as the goblet of fire turned red once again. Sparks were flying out of it, and a long flame shot into the air, coughing up another piece of parchment. Both mesmerized and horrified, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and collected the parchment mid-air. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause in which Dumbledore continued to stare at the slip of parchment in his hands, and the entire room stared at Dumbledore. It was as if time was standing still, and then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out

_Allison Potter._


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 More Potter Trouble**

_Allison Potter._

Within second all eyes turned from Dumbledore to me. I didn't move; there had to have been some sort of mistake. There was no applause, instead the Great Hall filled with the low buzzing of whispers. I stared down at my shoes for several seconds before looking up to see Harry and Ron gaping at me both with their mouths open wide.

"I didn't put my name in!" I said to them immediately. "I wouldn't, I want no part of this competition. They must be talking about someone else." But they both continued to stare back at me blankly.

"Allison Potter!" Dumbledore roared again. "Alice, up here, if you please."

"Go on!" Emily commanded as together she and Hermione nudged me to my feet. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before walking the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. Once again I was the center of undesired attention as I walked slowly towards Dumbledore. I looked down the line of the staff table where I saw facial expressions ranging from angry to confused, but it was Severus' face that took me by surprise. Only someone with an understanding of Severus Snape would have seen it, but when I saw Severus' face from the other end of the staff table, he looked genuinely afraid. As I made my way down the aisle the whispering grew louder and louder. I reached Dumbledore after what felt like an hour. He looked down at me, without smiling without any expression on his face and spoke plainly.

"Well, through the door Allison." I wanted to close my eyes as I made the long journey down the staff table, but I knew there was no way I could make it to the door without looking. Reluctantly I made my way down the table and exited the Great Hall through the door as everyone before me had done. The room was much smaller than I remembered, and there was a fire roaring in a fireplace across the room. I suspected it was meant to be welcoming, I felt anything but. Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delecour had grouped themselves around the fireplace but all three turned in my direction when the heard the door click shut.

"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?" I stared back at her completely speechless and unable to explain what had happened. Instead I just stood there, taking in each of them in turn wondering what I had done to get myself into this mess. I wasn't standing there long before there was the sound of scurrying feet behind me. Ludo Bagman had entered the room, he took me by the arm and led me forward to join the group.

"Extraordinary!" He muttered squeezing my arm a bit tighter than necessary. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen, lady, may I introduce the _fourth_, Triwizard Champion?" Viktor Krum straightened up, his dark face glanced at me sideways. Cedric made a confused smile looking back and forth between Bagman and I as if he had misheard what Bagman had just said. Fleur on the other hand tossed her hair and laughed.

"Oh vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated in a bewildered tone. "No, no, not at all! Allison's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!" Krum's think eyebrows scrunched suspiciously, Cedric continued to look confused while Fleur frowned.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake. She cannot compete, she is too young."

"Well it's amazing, but as you know the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as her name's come out of the goblet, I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage. It's down in the rules, you're obliged, Allison will just have to do the best she…" The door behind us opened again, and for the first time Bagman released the hold he had on my arm. Professor Dumbledore entered the room followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall and Severus.

"Madame Maxime!" Fleur shrieked at once. "Zey are saying zis little girl is to compete also!"

"What is ze meaning of zis Dumbly-dorr?" Madame Maxime asked impaciently.

"I'd rather like to know myself, Dumbledore." Professor Karkaroff demanded. Once again he was smiling, but his eyes were chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions or have I not read the rules carefully enough?" He gave a short nasty laugh that was followed by another hysterical outburst from Madame Maxime.

"c'est impossible! Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore." Karkaroff came at Dumbledore again. "Otherwise we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidate from our own schools."

"It is no one's fault but Miss Potter's Karkaroff." Severus spoke, his dark eyes now full of anger. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for her determination to break the rules. She has been crossing the line ever since she arrived here."

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore stated firmly, causing Severus to grow quite, but that didn't stop him from glaring down at me through a curtain of his greasy hair. Professor Dumbledore turned from Severus to me. He looked down over the brim of his half-moon spectacles before speaking calmly.

"Alice, did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"

"No!" I answered immediately. Severus made a soft noise of disbelief from the shadows but Dumbledore continued on calmly.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?"

"No! I think anyone who wants to enter this tournament is mental!"

"Ah but of course she iz lying!" Madame Maxime cried out.

"She could not have crossed the age line." Professor McGonagall stated sharply. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor, but she was also Deputy Headmistress and she took both jobs very seriously. Though she was strict and old fashioned, she tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. "I am sure we are all in agreement on that."

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line."

"It's possible." Professor Dumbledore agreed politely.

"Dumbledore you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Really what nonsense! Allison could not have crossed the line herself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that she did not persuade an older student to do it for her, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else." Professor McGonagall concluded her angry lecture by sending Severus an enraged look. Karkaroff turned to Bagman and Crouch for help.

"Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, you are our-er-objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?" Bagman wiped his round face with his handkerchief and turned to Crouch. Mr. Crouch spoke softly but sternly.

"We must follow the rules and the ruse state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire and bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well Barty knows the rule book back to front." Bagman said making it clear the matter was closed.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students." Karkaroff spoke again, this time a menacing look on his face. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It is only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that." Bagman explained. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out, it wotn ignite until the start of the next tournament."

"In which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing." Karkaroff exploded. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat Karkaroff." Growled a deep voice from the doorway. It was Professor Moody limping his way into the room, a loud clunk sounding with each footstep. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

"Convenient?" Karkaroff questioned. "I'm afraid I don't understand you Moody."

"Don't you?" Moody asked him in return. "It's very simple Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing she'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!"

"I quite agree Madame Maxime! I shall be lodging a complaint with the Ministry of Magic _and _the International Confederation of Wizards."

"If anyone's got reason to complain its Potter." Moody growled addressing me for the first time. "But funny thing, I don't hear her saying a word." I opened my mouth trying to again explain that I wanted no part in the Tournament, but Fleur cut me off with another outburst.

"Why would she complain? She 'as ze chance to compete 'asn't she? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money! Zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Miss Potter _is_ going to die for it." Moody grumbled. I felt my eyes grow wide with fear as I tried to search the dimly lit room for Severus. There was an extremely tense silence before Mr. Bagman made a nervous half laughing sound and spoke.

"Moody, old man what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime." Karkaroff addressed the room gruffly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too! An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."

"Imagining things am I? Seeing things eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the girl's name in that goblet."

"What evidence is zere of zat?" Madame Maxime bellowed throwing her huge hands up in the air.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object. It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament, I'm guessing they submitted Potter's named under a fourth school, to make sure she was the only one in her category."

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody. And a very ingenious theory it is, though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised Basilisk egg and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously." Karkaroff told him coldly.

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage." Moody retorted. "It's my job to think the way dark wizards do Karkaroff, as you ought to remember…"

"Alastor!" Dumbledore spoke sternly as he had before to Severus, though now he was warning Moody. "How this situation arose, we do not know. It seems to me, however that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Alice have been chosen to compete in the tournament. This is therefore they will do."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr…"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it." Dumbledore waited but Madame Maxime did not speak, instead she glared down at him. Karkaroff and Severus also maintained an livid expression on their face. Bagman on the other hand looked incredibly excited.

"Well shall we crack on then? Got to give our Champions the instruction haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

"Yes, instructions yes, the first task." Mr. Crouch now addressed myself, Cedric, Fleur and Krum. "The first tasked is designed to test your daring. So we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard…Very important. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempt from end-of-year exams." _Well at least one thing has come from this whole mess._ "I think that's all, is it, Dumbledore?"

"I think so. Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

"No Dumbledore, I must get back to the ministry. It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment. I've left young Weatherby in charge, very enthusiastic, a little overenthusiastic, if truth be told." I tried my hardest to stifle a laugh knowing that Mr. Crouch was referring to Ron's third oldest brother Percy. With that Bagman and Crouch left the room, followed closely by Madame Maxime and Fleur. The pair of them left swiftly, speaking very fast in French. Karkaroff and Viktor Krum followed behind them in silence. The small room seemed even smaller with the watchful eyes of Severus, McGonagall, Moody and Dumbledore upon Cedric and I.

"Cedric, Alice I suggest you head off to bed." Dumbledore told us, smiling for the first time. "I am sure Hufflepuff and Slytherin are waiting to celebrate with you, and it would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise." Cedric and I each nodded and I followed him out to the Entrance Hall. When we reached the hall Cedric turned to me.

"So, we're playing against each other again!"

"I guess so…Cedric I…"

"Tell me, how did you get your name in?" I shook my head fiercely.

"That's just it, I didn't. I didn't put my name in, I was telling the truth."

"Ah, Okay." His voice said in disbelief. "Well see you then." And he turned right heading off to the Hufflepuff common room, leaving me standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall, alone.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi everyone! I've posted quite a few chapters since my last review so if some of you guys could send some reviews in I'd love to know what you're thinking so far! Enjoy Chapter 19!**

**Chapter 19** **My Money's on You**

Cedric left me standing alone in the Entrance Hall and I felt more vulnerable than I had ever felt in my life. I doubted any other the Slytherin students would want to celebrate my being chosen as a Hogwarts Champion. Most of my House didn't even like me, and that wasn't even including the unknown number of Hogwarts students whose parents were death eaters. There was no way I'd be able to sneak into the Gryffindor tower to see Harry, by then all of the Gryffindors were surly in their common room or already sleeping. Severus was still in the small dimly lit room with Dumbledore, McGonagall and Moody. I sat on the stone steps of the Entrance Hall with my head in my hands, warm tears brimming at the bottoms of my eyes. I wished I hadn't taken advantage of Remus in my earlier years at Hogwarts, if he were there he would have known exactly what to do. _Remus would know exactly what to do._ I repeated to myself jumping to my feet. Although Remus was at home and I wouldn't be able to get an instant answer from him, I could still send him a letter explaining everything. I raced to the back of the library where Madam Pince kept a collection of quills and parchment for students to copy down small sections of library books.

_Dear Remus, _

_Hope everything is well at home! I can't tell you enough how much I wish you were here! Since I know you'll ask, my courses this year are challenging but I'm still doing well, and Professor Snape maintains his usual brooding mood. Unfortunately not all the news I have for you is pleasant, in fact something quite terrible has happened. Hogwarts is hosting an international event known as the Triwizard Tournament. Students, of age, from three different schools are encouraged to enter, and tonight one champion was supposed to be selected from each school, but something's gone wrong. Somehow I was entered into this tournament without knowing, and now I'm forced to compete in this tournament as one of two Hogwarts champions without any choice in the matter. Honestly it really scary, they're saying people have died in this thing and I'm terrified. I'm sure you can gain more information from my Head of House, but the most important thing for you to know is that I did not enter this contest willingly and I just wish I could go home. In other news, Harry recently told me that his dog likes to stay close to home, and is also within range of our home. I miss you more than words can say, and I look forward to the Christmas Holiday more than ever. –Alice_

I read my letter over again several times before I was satisfied. I just hoped that Remus would understand the last bit about Sirius returning to be closer to Harry. If I was any more specific, and something were to happen to Apollo or the letter it could put Sirius as risk. I quickly made my way up to the owlry, and once Apollo was soaring off towards home, I made my way down to the Slytherin common room. Surprisingly there was a large sprawling mess of food and drink throughout the common room as if the Slytherins had indeed had a celebration in my honor. I smirked at the sight of Emily passed out on a plush emerald armchair that decorated the common room. Draco sat awake in a similar armchair with a small table separating them.

"Suppose I should wake her and get her to bed." I told Draco as I nodded in Emily's direction.

"She's exhausted. Since you didn't come back right after dinner, she was bombarded with millions of questions. Most of them just wanted to know how you'd done it, got your name in that is, and you know Emily, she's too polite to tell any of them to buzz off. I think they only stopped asking about you when she fell asleep in the middle of talking to some second year." An awkward silence fell between us as Draco thought of repeating every question our fellow Slytherins had asked, but he was too polite to ask.

"Slytherin house sure knows how to throw a party." I said kicking away some of the dirty dishes that littered the floor.

"Some of them are angry, they think you cheated, some think you'll get expelled for it, and then some of them think it was cunning and downright beautiful. I saw Professor Snape's face once you left the Great Hall and entered the other room. His face got really dark and he zoned out from the rest of what Dumbledore was say, once we were dismissed, he practically wrestled McGonagall for the door. It was if he thought you had something to do with your name coming out of that goblet."

"What do you think?" I asked dragging a third armchair over to the table and sitting.

"At first, I thought you'd played us. All month whenever the subject came up you talked about how stupid you thought it was, and then your name shoots out of the thing? I was suspicious and I assumed you'd been putting down the Triwizard Tournament so that we'd all be surprised if your name came out. Then I talked to Emily. She said that when Dumbledore called your name, you looked terrified, said she'd never seen you so scared, not even when you chased after Professor Black at the end of last year. That was enough to convince me."

"Thanks." I said yawning.

"What _does_ Snape think of the whole mess?"

"I don't know." I answered as I stretched my arms above my head and yawned again. "I didn't have a chance to talk to him privately. Dumbledore, seemed to believe me and that was good enough for McGonagall and Moody. Severus seemed less than impressed, but when we're at Hogwarts I can never tell if he's expressing his true feelings or not, there are so many layers to our relationship, and who he is as a person…"

"I know what you mean, my dad can be like that sometimes." Draco told me looking at something only he could see.

"Is that where you get it from?" I asked wondering what he was picturing in his mind.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Did you say Mad-eye was in the room? What did he have to say?"

"Only that he thinks someone entered my name in the Goblet of Fire, hoping I die in the tournament." I stated trying to sound off handed.

"Well that's pleasant."

"Tell me about it. Well I think it's about time I get Emily and I into bed, I want to get up early before anyone else is up so that I can see Severus without any trouble."

"That's probably a good idea. I'll cover for you if I have to."

"Thanks Draco."

"For what?"

"Being my friend."

"So now would be a bad time for me to tell you I've got 100 galleons on Krum?"

"I notice you and Severus share the same sense of humor." I told him rolling my eyes. "But I wouldn't count your galleons before you've earned them." I woke Emily gently as I finished my sentence, her usually bouncy curls matted from her awkward sleeping position. "Hey Em, let's get you to bed, I'm sure it's much more comfortable than this chair."

"Alice!" She whispered half asleep. "ImSo gladyourok." Her words were running together as she sleepily got to her feet. "ItoldDraco youdcomeback." I pulled one of her arms over my shoulder propping her up so she didn't fall down. "Imgladyourok"

"Come on Em let's get you to bed, you sound exhausted. We can talk in the morning. Goodnight Draco!" I waved as I ushered Emily past him.

"Goodnight Emily, goodnight Alice! Oh and Alice," I turned my head slightly in his direction but continued guiding Emily forward. "Between you and me, my money's on you."


	20. Chapter 20

**Lilian Hope Black glad to hear that you think my stories are worth the wait! I won't lie, sometimes I go a long time without updating, but for now I've got tons of ideas so I'll keep going till they run out! To everyone out there please keep reading, reviewing and loving this story! **

**Chapter 20 The Next Morning **

Early that Sunday morning I dressed in a comfortable pair of sweatpants and crept my way through the Slytherin common room. Opening the door to Severus' office slowly so it didn't creak as loud as usual, I snuck my way into his office. Predictably, Severus was already awake shuffling paper work around on his desk. He didn't look up from the desk even when he heard a gentle click as the door shut behind me.

"Albus for the hundredth time, I told you, I think she…Oh, it you." Severus stopped as he finally looked up.

"Can we talk?" Severus had moved on from shuffling paperwork to reorganizing several potions on his shelf.

"Allison as you can see, I'm rather busy at the moment, now is not really the best time to talk."

"Oh well…when would be a good time to…Emily and I got all of our homework done yesterday so I can come back at any time." Severus' hunched shoulders dropped as he heaved a great sigh.

"Allison, I've got a lot to do today. In fact I've got a lot of things to do all week." He turned back to his shelves of many colorful bottles.

"Is there anything I can help with? You know I learned a lot this summer, I'm sure I could…"

"Alice, I think it would be best if you tried to stay out of my office this year, voluntary or otherwise. Without Remus here at school, it will be harder for you to explain your absences to your friends, and people will be watching you much more closely now that you've found another outlet to fame."

"I don't believe it!" I said throwing my hands up in the air. "You think I did it! You think I put my name in the Goblet of Fire! I can't believe you of all people would think that I…That's not fair, you haven't even asked me! You haven't heard my side!"

"Don't act like this is a childish fight and there are sides to be heard." He growled through clenched teeth. "The fact of the matter is…"

"That fact of the matter is you don't care what I have to say. You never have, you never listen to me until it's too late! All you think about is you…"

"_Don't you dare!"_ He warned his eyes flaring.

"Dare what? Say the truth? You're a bitter man who hates children but most of all hates me! You're mean and selfish and it's no wonder no one ever has anything nice to sa…"

"Get out, _now._" He spat pointing to the door of his office.

"No." I stated plainly not moving from the spot.

"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE BEFORE I HAVE YOU EXPELLED!" He bellowed till pointing at the door.

"No." I insisted stomping my foot on the stone floor. "You can yell at me all you want, you don't scare me, _Professor."_

"Miss Potter, it is not my deepest desire to fuel your egocentric views on life, and I will not be told what to do in my own office. How perfect that your newest claim to fame has made it nearly impossible for you to be expelled. I can promise you that I am not amused by your latest attention-seeking scheme and I will not endure your insults any longer get out of my office, _now._" I didn't see any good coming out of me staying in his office, so as much as I wanted to continue defending myself I had no choice but to storm out of the office and slam the door closed. Granted I probably didn't need to make such a dramatic exit, but he needed to know exactly how annoying it was to always have him swooping in and out of classroom doors letting them clamber behind him. Also I really wanted to slam the heavy wooden door. I grumpily made my way back to the Slytherin common room knowing everyone else would still be in bed, I opened the door to the dormitory that Emily and I shared and flopped down on my bed falling back asleep within minutes.

I woke again hours later surprised to see Emily still curled up in bed sleeping. I decided to wake her thinking we could catch an early enough breakfast that I'd be able to avoid Severus' watchful eye at the staff table. If he was as busy as he said he was, he would take a late breakfast trying to get as much work done as possible before being forced to resurface from the dungeons. Once Emily was awake she was her usual bouncing ball of energy.

"Alice!" she smiled as she pulled a slytherin sweater over her springy blonde curls. "I had the strangest dream last night! I know you think that the whole Triwizard Tournament is stupid, but in my dream you were actually selected at tonight's Halloween feast!" I wasn't sure if Emily was joking or sincerely trying to convince herself that the last night's events were just a dream. I decided to go with a natural answer as we made our way into the common room.

"Imagine that."

"Imagine what Miss Hogwarts Champion?" Draco called from the fireplace.

"Draco did you have a dream about Alice becoming the Hogwarts champion too?" Emily asked biting her lip.

"That wasn't a dream Emily. Alice actually was selected as a Hogwarts champion." Draco told her as he face looked from disappointed to worried, and then confused.

"But Alice how? I mean I saw what happened to George and Fred Weasley…you're not of age! How did you…it's really dangerous! You don't even like the…what if something happens to you?"

"Emily, Em, look at me…breath." I tried to calm her down as we left the common room and entered the Hogwarts dungeons. "I didn't put myself in the Goblet of Fire and I don't know how my name got in. Trust me I wish I did, but there's nothing I can do. You heard Dumbledore the other day, once your name comes out you're stuck, you have to compete whether you want to or not. So I'm stuck and the only benefit seems to be that I can't get expelled, and I don't have to take end of the year exams."

"I think the risk of death, greatly outweighs the benefits." Draco mumbled as the three of us entered the Entrance Hall. I kicked him in the shin as we crossed to the Great Hall. When we reached the doorway hundreds of heads turned in our direction.

"We could always come back and eat later." Emily whispered to me.

"What's the point?" I asked "There will just be more of them later. Come on, I see some seats near the staff table." The Great Hall erupted into everything from pointing to whispered questions and laughter. I wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor and disappear, but fate wouldn't be that kind to me. To make matters worse Severus had shown up early to Breakfast, most likely in an attempt to avoid me.

"Have you ever noticed how much you and Professor Snape are alike?" Emily caught my attention by asking. I snuck a panicked sideways glance as Draco before looking up at Emily.

"No way!" I told her doubtfully. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, when you're upset, you both sort of get dark and moody. Like now for example, you're not really talking, you're kinda just staring off trapped in your head. I've seen Professor Snape do that a lot too. And for the past ten minutes you've both been poking angrily at a plate of pancakes, but not taking a single bite. And you're really good at potions too, like better than anyone else I know, even Hermione! And…well you're both in Slytherin and…"

"What are you getting at Em?" I asked taking a defiant bite of pancake as if that would prove that I was nothing like Severus.

"Well, I know it's not the same thing, but since Professor...Mister…Mister Lupin, isn't at Hogwarts this year, you're not going to have someone to talk to…"

"That's not true, I've got you, and Harry and…" she interrupted me shaking her head.

"It's not the same, you don't talk to Harry and I about the same things you talk to _Mister _Lupin about. Especially now that you're one of the Hogwarts Champions, you might want an adult to talk to, and I don't want you to think that I'm telling you what to do, and it wouldn't replace him, but maybe if you need someone to talk to you could try and talk to Professor Snape. I mean he's our head of house, and you have so much in common maybe he'd be willing to talk to you…if you gave him the chance." When she finished her shoulders tensed up as if expecting me to explode on her. And then I remembered why I had picked Emily Smith to be my best friend from our first day at Hogwarts. From the first moment we met Emily always tried to see past what everyone else thought about me, she saw who I was on the inside, and she always knew exactly when something was wrong. I large smile came across my face as I thought about it, a smile that didn't fade away when I started to talk to her.

"Emily Smith you have to be the least selfish person I've ever met. Only you would think of something like that, and I love you for it!" _If only you knew the truth. _I thought sadly to myself. "I'll think about it, but you see the champions aren't allowed to accept help from teachers during the tournament, and I'd hate for Professor Snape to get in trouble because of me. I'd have to be really careful and make sure I only ask him for help if it's an emergency. In the meantime I was hoping I'd be able to talk to you about things that bother me?" I asked knowing she'd say yes, Emily loved to help people.

"Oh Alice, you know your my best friend, you can come to me about anything!"

"Good! Same to you, and I can't tell you how glad I am that we are best friends." I told her taking another huge bit of pancake. Halfway through chewing I had another thought. "Oh and Em?"

"Yes?" She asked giving me time to swallow my pancakes.

"You don't have to call Remus 'Mr. Lupin' I'm sure he'd be just fine with you calling him Remus. Trust me I do it all the time." At this Emily relaxed the tension she'd been holding in her shoulders.

"I'm really glad you didn't get mad at me for telling you what to do." She added as we stood to exit the Great Hall.

"How can I be mad at someone for caring about me?" I asked her holding the door open to let some sixth years pass us. "As long as you're not supporting Cedric in the tournament." I winked at Draco.

"I'd never!" she squeaked. "But he is really handsome…would you hate me forever if…"

"Emily relax I was joking you can support whoever you want…as long as it's me." A worried look crossed her face.

"Are you joking again or are you serious?"

"No, no Emily I'm Alice, Sirius is Harry's godfather." I told her shaking my head and crossing the Entrance Hall to the Dungeons.

"Alice please stop." She called racing after me.

"Stop walking or stop being Alice?" I asked amusing myself with my own jokes.

"Please!" She squeaked again but I could tell that time she was trying to suppress a laugh herself.

"Alright I suppose I've tortured you enough today. So do you two have any plans?" I asked now speaking to both Draco and Emily.

"I could use some help with my Care of Magical Creatures homework." Draco suggested as we walked the dingy Hogwarts dungeons.

"Well if you paid more attention to Hagrid and less attention to Crabbe and Goyle you would actually know what's going on in class." I scolded.

"I could help you Draco." Emily offered as we entered the common room.

"Thanks Emily let me get my book." Draco told her slipping off to his dormitory. The rest of Slytherin House was slowly waking and making their way down to breakfast. In the few minutes it took for Draco to get his book I had seen every expression Draco had described the night before, and then some. I decided to sit with Emily and Draco while they worked together on his homework. It could have been longer than an hour or two before I couldn't handle the suspicious whispering and accusatory whispers from my fellow Slytherins. I left them without another word and didn't resurface for the rest of the day. Not even for lunch, or dinner. Not even when Emily tried to bribe me out of bed with an assortment of sugar quills and acid pops. She was right about one thing though, the resemblance between Severus and I was beginning to become clearer and clearer.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 I Hate Mondays**

Monday morning came sooner than I would have liked as Emily tried to force me into eating breakfast.

"Come on Alice, you'll have to come out of our room at some point." She begged.

"No I don't." I called through the covers.

"But we have classes today! If you don't go you could fail!" She said trying to pull the covers off of me, but I wouldn't give up easily I tighten my grip and shouted through the covers again.

"Good! Then I won't be a stupid Hogwarts champion again and everyone will leave me alone!"

"And what would Remus think if he saw you acting this way?" she asked giving up on our violent game of tug-of-war.

"Probably that I shouldn't have put my name in if I didn't want all the attention." I sulked.

"I don't think that's true…" Finally I pulled the covers off of my head glaring at her.

"What does it matter, he's not here, he can't do any…"

"Oh Alice Potter you can be so…frustrating at times." She yelped. It was the first time Emily was ever really mad at me. "First year," she said holding up one finger. "Yes you and Harry defeated Voldemort but you hardly included me or Hermione in your plans. Second year," She now held up two fingers on the same hand, "You Ron and Harry go running off to fight a basilisk without even bothering to get adult help. And last year…" She added a third finger to her hand. "We went chasing after a man thought to have been an aid to your parent's murder without a second thought!"

"I get it, I make reckless decisions. So what are you saying this Triwizard Tournament is payback for the countless times I've put you, and Harry, and Ron, and Hermione and Draco in danger?"

"No!" She said tossing her hands up high. "I'm saying you're brave, braver than anyone else I know! You've faced the Darkest Wizard of all time, man eating spiders, a basilisk, a professor who tried to erase your memory, and almost caught one of He-Who-Must-Be Named biggest rats. If you can do all that, why let a few whispers in the hall stop you? You're Alice Potter, you can do anything if you set your mind to it, and you've proven that more than once. So if you want to lay in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself, be my guest, but if you want to be the brave Alice I know and love you'll get out of bed, go to all of your classes and show whoever set you up in this tournament that Allison Potter won't take things lying down!" She stood with her hands on her hips waiting for me to reply. We stared at each other for about a minute or two as I really thought about what she said. The truth was that Emily was right. I may have made a lot of reckless choices over the years but those reckless choices had led me to accomplish great and brave things. Compared to Fleur, Viktor and Cedric I'd probably done more brave things before lunch than they'd done in their whole lives. I tossed my bed covers aside and sprung out of the bed.

"Emily you're right! I've never cared before what anyone thought about me, and I'm not going to start now!" Once I was dressed I glanced down at my watch and frowned. "I think we're going to miss breakfast, there's no way we'd make it up to the Great Hall in time, but if we leave now we'll have plenty of time to get to charms on the other side of the castle."

"It's good to have you back." Emily said hugging me.

"Thanks Em." I told her hugging her back. "If I ever get like that again, feel free to let me know."

"Any time best friend." With plenty of time before charms we took our time making our way to the Entrance Hall.

"Have you seen Draco this morning?" I asked her as we neared the bottom of the steps that lead to the Entrance Hall.

"I saw him early this morning he stayed in the common room for a while, but when I told him you wouldn't leave for breakfast he left. He said one of us should go to breakfast in case any of the professors came looking for you." _By professors that would be Severus. _Though was sure Sev didn't even bother asking Draco, he probably assumed I was up to more troublemaking.

"Well if it isn't our favorite mischief maker!" a voice called from the doors of the Great Hall. The voice wasn't nasty or mean spirited; instead it had a light hearted tone. Fred and George were not the only students in the Entrance Hall, but they were the only students propped up against the Great Hall doors watching everyone else pass by.

"Come on Alice we can go this way…" Emily started pulling me away so that we didn't have to walk past the twins.

"Emily, it's alright. I'll have to hear it all day any way, what's the point of avoiding them?"

"I suppose your right." She whispered letting go of my arm. Instead of walking past them, I walked directly up to Fred and George.

"Good-morning boys, what's new with you?"

"We've brought you breakfast!" George announced as he handed me a large variety of breakfast pastries.

"And we reckoned Emily would be with you, so…" Fred told us handing her a similar assortment.

"Thanks! I'm so hungry I could eat…" Then I remembered all the sweets the twins had showed me during my brief stay at the Weasleys' house.

"Wait Emily don't!" But it was too late she had already taken a large bite of something cream filled.

"What did you do to them?" I asked gesturing to the breakfast foods.

"Nothing." George said.

"Absolutely nothing." Fred answered. It was a good instinct to assume that whenever Fred and George said they had done absolutely nothing, that they had in fact done something. But I like Emily said I was starting to get really hungry and lunch was hours away.

"Well, I suppose if it's poison, I'll have a good enough reason to seek refuge in my bed all day." I told them taking a bite of a some sort of lemon tart.

"Poison?!" Fred said pretending to be shocked. "Now why would we poison our favorite Hogwarts Champion?"

"Oh I understand what this is about." I narrowed my eyes but continued chewing. "You two want to know how I got my name into that goblet."

"Now that you mention it Alice, the whole school has been talking about that very subject and so Fed and I have given it a lot of thought."

"We know an age potion doesn't work, and we reckon if you'd asked an older student to do it for you they would have outted you by now so…" I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Emily we have to be on our way to charms. Thank you for breakfast boys!"

"Yeah thanks!" Emily called waving back at them.

"Wait just a second!" Fred called as he and George rushed to our side.

"We'd never tell anyone, would we George?"

"of course not Fed!"

"Should I tell them Emily?" I asked her, she nodded. "Well you see it's very secret and very complicated." I said dropping my voice down low so they had to lean in to hear me. "I got my name in the Goblet of Fire by…" I sighed as if it pained me to give away such a big secret, but when I spoke again it was in my normal tone. "by doing absolutely nothing." And I walked away from them again knowing Emily would follow, so did the twins.

"What do you mean nothing?" George asked.

"You must have done something!" Fred asked. I stopped walking and turned to face them.

"No honestly I didn't." I said shaking my head. "I know that no one believes me, but I honestly did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire, and I didn't ask anyone else to put my name in for me either. I didn't like the idea of the Triwizard Tournament from the very start and look where that got me! I don't know how my name go into that thing, or who did it but I do know they better be hoping I never find out. You know Professor Moody thinks someone put my name in hoping I die in this thing? I understand it's very exciting for you two, but I'm sorry to disappoint you, I just don't know how I got mixed up in all of this." George looked disappointed and Fred looked sympathetic.

"We'll still support you in the tournament, right Fred?"

"Right you are George! You might be a Slytherin…but better you than that Cedric bloke."

"Is this about quidditch?" I asked wishing they'd just let go of the one match last year when Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff.

"Course not. Then they'd be pulling for Krum wouldn't they?" Emily joked. We all laughed thinking of Ron's near obsession with Viktor Krum.

"Well Emily and I've got to go or else we'll be late for charms!"

"Yeah we'd best be off to Herbology ourselves." George told us.

"I didn't know you two actually went to your classes!" I said only mostly faking surprise.

"Sometimes." Fred answered. "Let us know if there's anything we can do to help you Alice!"

"Especially if there's mischief involved!" George added as we parted ways. Even with our on-the-go breakfast with Fred and George, Emily and I still made it to charms well before Professor Flitwick. The classroom was quite before students started to trickle in. Once the room began to fill up a half dozen whispered voices started to fill the room. Eventually Harry, Ron, Hermione showed up and the interrogation began all over again. The first thing they wanted to know was of course how I had gotten my name into the Goblet of Fire. Ron and Hermione were relieved to hear I had nothing to do with it, Harry seemed less convinced but didn't say much about it. Once we moved on from that Ron wanted to know more about what it was like being in the same room as Krum. Hermione on the other hand wanted to know more about everything that had been said in the small room off the Great Hall. I repeated to whole account to her while we waited for Professor Flitwick to arrive.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 Monday Afternoon**

I surprised even myself by getting through Charms without losing my sanity or storming out. I was actually able to tune out most of the whispering without actually trying, but it was really starting to get under my skin that Harry was giving me a dark angry glare throughout the whole class. When the class was over I decided to ask him about it.

"Harry, is everything alright?"

"Don't know why you're asking everything seems to be going perfectly well for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Look I know you're cleverer than me and I've accepted that, but do you have to throw it in may face every chance you can?"

"Harry!" Hermione scolded.

"No it's alright Hermione." I told her before turning to Harry. "You think I asked for this? You think I actually want to go up against three kids older and more magically educated than me? You think I want to put my life in danger just to prove that I'm cleverer than you? Sorry to disappoint you Harry James Potter, but I don't want any of that! Did you know that there are students, and most of them members of my own house, who wear badges that say 'support Cedric Diggory-The _real_ Hogwarts Champion!' I thought if anything you'd support me but I guess I was wrong." I realized I was raising my voice, drawing even more attention to myself than before. I leveled my tone and turned to Hermione and Ron. "I'll you both in potions later today." To Harry I added, "Grow up Potter." I stormed off towards Transfigurations with Emily close on my heels. I sat between Emily and Draco in Professor McGonagall's classroom thankful that Slytherin shared the class with Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor.

"I heard about your brother, I'm sorry." Draco told me while we waited for the lesson to start.

"He'll get over himself soon enough." I replied.

"How did everything go with Professor Snape?" Draco whispered. "I wanted to ask you yesterday, but when you skipped lunch and dinner I assumed…"

"It was positively awful." I whispered back. "Of course he thinks I did it, so we got in a huge fight. He said he wasn't 'amused by my latest attention-seeking scheme.' He didn't even try to listen."

"I assumed something like that had happened. So I came up with a plan."

"I guess I'm willing to try anything once."

"If he gives you detention, he'd have to talk to you right?" I considered what he said for a minute. We had potions that afternoon. If I aggravated him enough I probably could lure Severus into giving me a detention.

"I suppose it's worth trying." Through the rest of the morning I mostly concentrated on my school work, but my mind was turning trying to think of all the things that really pushed Severus' buttons in his potions class room. The hours ticked by and it was finally time for potions class. As always Draco was my potions partner something that for once I was glad irritated Harry very much. When it came time for the lesson to start Severus came swooping into the classroom. I burst out into a loud laugh as he neared the front of the room.

"And what is so funny, Miss Potter?" Severus sneered from his desk.

"I'm sorry Professor, I've just realized how truly bat-like you look when you come in with your robes flapping like that." Severus' eyes narrowed as the class gasped. It was common knowledge that most students thought Severus possessed bat-like qualities, but no one dared tell him to his face.

"How very clever of you Miss Potter though I must tell you George Weasley beat you to the punch by four years fifty points from Slytherin." He turned away from me and addressed the class as a whole. "Today you will be brewing a Swelling Potion. The instructions for which can be found on page 30 of your books. You have thirty minutes, begin." Draco opened his book and I read off the first ingredient I saw, ironically it was bat spleens, and I saw a perfect chance to get even further under Severus' skin. Shooting my hand up in the air, I called out, not waiting for Severus to call on me.

"Professor, Draco and I don't have any Bat Spleens may we borrow some of yours?" Professor Dumbledore required Severus to keep a complete stock of potion ingredients in case any student needed them but every year when the school supplies lists when out, Severus also included a long list of ingredients for students to bring with them to Hogwarts. The potions supply closet was considered off limits to anyone who feared his dark spiteful gaze. Even first year students knew you took your life into your own hands if you forgot potion ingredients after the first lesson.

"Not off to a good start this afternoon are we?" Severus griped. "Another fifty points from both Mr. Malfoy and yourself for being incredibly unprepared for class. Hurry up we haven't got all day." He said sweeping his long arm in the direction of the supply close. Together Draco and I walked the few short steps to the supply closet and stepped inside.

"I thought for sure that would get you detention." Draco said in a low whisper as we searched the shelves for bat spleens.

"He might have caught on to what I'm doing." I told him suddenly getting another idea as my eye caught a bottle of Veritaserum. The shelf in front of me was full of completed potions with varying degrees of difficulty. "Draco," I whispered nudgeing his side with my elbow. "What's the most expensive ingredient you can find?"

"I've got some dragon's blood in front of me."

"Excellent!" I whispered back. "Here take the bat spleens and get out of the closet." He took the jar of bat spleens but looked at me puzzled.

"What are you going to…" he trailed off as I picked on a bottle of phoenix tears, and large jar full of unicorn hair. "Brilliant!" He whispered ducking out of the closet as I raised the glass containers high above my head. I gave Draco enough time to get back to our workstation before sending the containers crashing to the stone floor. Severus had to have heard the dense shattering noise as containers crashed, spilling ingredients all over the floor. "In an instant he came swooping into the doorway of the supply closet his face red with rage.

"Sorry Professor." I said in the least sincere voice I could muster. Severus grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the supply closet covered in dragon's blood and silvery phoenix tears.

"You can all thank Miss Potter and her slippery fingers, one hundred points from Slytherin for the ruined potions ingredients. And since I'm feeling extra generous today, fifty points from Gryffindor as none of you could loan Mr. Malfoy or Miss Potter some of your potions ingredients, which would have prevented this mess in the first place. And as for you Miss…"

"Excuse me…um Professor Snape?" Severus let go of my arm as Cedric Diggory stood in the classroom doorway looking as if he wished he hadn't said anything. "Sorry, I've been told to collect Alice Potter…" Severus interrupted Cedric coldly.

"Mr. Diggory, Miss Potter still has an hour left of potions class. She will be excused only when the class has concluded."

"I'm terribly sorry Professor, but Mr. Bagman wants her. All four of us Champions have got to go, something to do with photographs I think."

"Very well, Very well," Severus snapped. "Miss Potter leave your things here, I want you back here later so that we can discuss your detention."

"Sorry I should have been clearer, she's got to take her things with her, we all do." Cedric added gesturing at his own bag with a handful of books.

"Very well!" Severus exploded. "Potter take your bag and get out of my sight!" _Gladly._ I thought ducking out of the classroom without another word. I allowed the classroom door to clamber shut as Cedric and I took our exit.

"Uh, since we're already in the dungeons do you mind if I sneak off to my dorm for a second to change my robe?"

"Yeah, I suppose being covered in dragon blood wouldn't look good on the cover of the _Daily Prophet_."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 Rita Skeeter**

"It this classroom here, just around the corner." Cedric told me once we were on our way. We entered a fairly small classroom where most of the desks have been pushed to the back of the room. In the center of the room, placed end to end, there were four desks in front of a velvet screen. Both Viktor and Fleur were already there standing in the center of the room near the desks. Bagman caught sight of Cedric and I at the door and leapt forward.

"Ah there they are Champions three and four! In you come, in you come, nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony the rest of the judges will be here in a moment."

"Wand weighing?" I asked thinking of clutching my wand close to my chest.

"We have to make sure your wands are full functional, no problems you know, as they are the most important tools in the task ahead. The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore, and then there's going to be a little photo-shoot." Bagman told me gesturing to a witch in Magenta robes. "This is Rita Skeeter she's doing a small piece on the tournament for the _Daily Prophet._"

" I wonder," Rita Skeeter began, "If I could have a word with Allison before we start? The youngest Champion, you know to add a bit of color?"

"Certainly!" Bagman exclaimed "That is if Alice has no objection?" I did in fact have several objections but I wasn't given the chance as Rita Skeeter's red polished talons guided me out of the room.

"We don't want to be in there with all that noise." She told me dragging me down the hall. "Let's see, ah yes. This is nice and cozy." She said pulling us both into a broom cupboard.

"Do you mind if I use a 'Quick-Quotes-Quill?' It leaves me free to talk to you normally."

"A what?" I asked, having no idea what she was talking about. She simply smiled in response drawing out an acid green pen and a roll of parchment from an alligator skill purse. Smoothing out the parchment she placed it on a stack of crates that stood between us. She then placed the pen upright on the parchment and began speaking to it.

"Testing, my name is Rita Skeeter, _Daily Prophet_ reporter." I watched the quill as it began to scribbled words across the parchment, though not exactly what she had said.

_**Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, wose savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations…**_

"Lovely." Rita Skeeter added a triumphant smile across her watchful face. Leaning in close she addressed me for the first time. "So, Allison…what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Uh-huh..." I answered much more focused on 'Quick-Quotes-Quill' as it danced across the page.

_**An ugly scar, souvenir of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise beautiful face of the young Allison Potter, whose eyes… **_Self-consciously I touched the lightning bolt shaped scar that covered a predominate amount of forehead.

"Oh ignore the quill," Rita Skeeter told me firmly. "Now why did you decide to enter the tournament, Allison?" I didn't trust that quill as far as I could throw it, but I knew the only way to get myself out of Rita Skeeters clutches was to follow her request. Turning my eyes from the parchment I answered her question.

"Just Alice is fine. Most people call me Alice. And as far as the Twiwizard Tournament is concerned, I didn't enter. I don't know how my name got into the Goblet of Fire." Rita skeeter raised an eyebrow at that.

"Come on, _Alice,_" she said my name in a thick syrupy way, like Pansy Parkinson did when she wanted one of her friends to spill the latest gossip. "There's no need to be scared of getting into trouble. We all know you shouldn't really have entered at all, but don't worry about that. Our readers love a rebel."

"But I didn't enter! I don't know how…" It was apparent she wasn't going to get the story she had hoped for and Rita Skeeter changed the subject.

"How do you feel about the tasks ahead? Excited? Nervous?" Of course I was terrified, but I wouldn't let that devilish quill of hers paint me as some little girl in over her head.

"Excited I suppose. I mean they've said there hasn't been a Triwizard Tournament in over a century."

"Champions have died in the past haven't they? Have you thought of that at all?"

"Of course I have!" I said insulted that she thought I hadn't.

"Naturally. Though you've looked death in the face before haven't you? How would you say that has affected you?"

"Um…" I tried the think of some of the things Emily had said earlier that morning, they seemed quite convincing when I was half awake."

"Do you think that the trauma in your past might have made you keen to prove yourself? To live up to your name? Do you think that perhaps you were tempted to enter the Triwizarrd Tournament because…"

"I didn't enter!" I grumbled getting irritated. "And I don't have to prove anything to anyone! I've been raised by a wonderful man who takes perfectly good care of me despite having a horrifying condition, and I've got a brother who'd do anything for me, and great friends!"

"Do you remember your parents at all?" she asked changing her tactic once again.

"No." I replied shortly.

"How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were competing in the Twiwizard Tournament? Proud? Worried? Angry?" No one ever asked me about my parents. Not Severus, not Remus, ans definitely not Harry. I didn't really know anything about them either, how was I supposed to know how they would feel? Rita Skeeter studied me as I turned down to watch her quill skate across the page.

_**Tears filled those deep brown eyes as our conversation turned to the parents she can barely remember. **_

"I haven't got tears in my eyes!" I exclaimed fighting to stand in the tiny cupboard. Before either of us could say another word the door to the broom cupboard was pulled open. Looking down at us, Professor Dumbledore stood taking in the scene.

"Dumbledore!" Rita Skeeter cried in a forced tone of delight, I noticed that her quill and parchment had suddenly vanished at the sight of him. "How are you?" She asked standing up and holding out one of her clawed hands. "I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?"

"Enchantingly nasty." Dumbledore answered, his eyes twinkling as he deliberately avoided her hand shake. "I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat." Retracting her hand Rita Skeeter didn't look remotely embarrassed.

"I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbledore, and that many wizards in the street…"

"I would be delighted the hear the reason behind the rudeness Rita, but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later. The Weighing of the wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our Champions is hidden in a broom cupboard." The three of us hurried back to the classroom where we had previously been. The other Champions were sitting in chairs near the door. Thankful for an excuse to put some distance between me and Rita Skeeter, I quickly made my way over to the Champions and sat in the empty chair next to Cedric. Before us there was a velvet-covered table where Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, , and Mr. Bagman all sat. Rita Skeeter squirreled away in the far corner of the room her Quick-Quotes-Quill out again, scribbling wildly on a fresh piece of parchment.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" Dumbledore addressed us Champions as he took his place at the judges table. "Mr. Ollivander will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament." Mr. Ollivander was the wand-maker who had sold both Harry and me our wands in Diagon Alley before our first year at Hogwarts. If I could trust anyone with my wand it was certainly the man who made it.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first please?" Mr. Ollivander asked stepping into the empy space between the judges' table and us Champions. Reluctantly Fleur handed him wand over to him. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it released a series of pink and gold sparks. He then held it up to his face, examining it.

"Yes, nine and a half inches, inflexible, rosewood and containing…dear me…"

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela." Fleur told him in her thick accent. "One of my grandmuzzers." I smiled at the idea of Fleur being part Veela. That would expain why Harry and Ron could barely take their eyes off her the past few days. I would be sure to share the information with them both was I was through with the wand weighing. Then I remembered that Harry wasn't speaking to me making me shake the whole idea from my mind.

"Yes. I've never used vela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands. However to each his own, and if this suits you." ran his fingers up and down the wand checking for scratches. He then cast a flower summoning spell and nodded satisfied with the result. "Very well, very well it's in fine working order." He handed Fleur her wand back, with the pile of flowers he had collected from the floor.

"Mr. Diggory you next." He instructed. Cedric passed his wand off without hesitation. "Ah, now this is one of mine, isn't it?" he smiled with a great deal of pride and enthusiasm. "Yes I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn, must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail…twelve and a quarter inches, ash, pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition. You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night." Cedric beamed. I suppressed a snort. It didn't surprise me that a guy like Cedric Diggory had nothing better to do than polish his wand the night after finding out he was in the Triziard Tournament. I looked down at my own wand covered in fingermarks, a small nick on the tip of the handle. Mr. Ollivander sent rings of silver smoke from the tip of Cedric's wand, satisfied with its condition he returned it to Cedric. Next he turned to Viktor who thrust his wand out scowling, before Mr. Ollivander could ask him for it.

"Hmm…This is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken. A fine wand-maker, though the syling is never quite what I…however, Hornbeam and dragon hearstring?" He asked Krum who continued to scowl but did nod in agreement. "Rather thicker than one usually sees, quite rigid, ten and a quarter inches…_Avis_!" A number of small twittering birds flew out the end of Krum's wand and continued on straight through an open window. "Good, good." Mr. Ollivander smiled as he handed Krum his wand back. "Which leaves Miss Potter." I gladly handed my wand over to wondering if he remembered what he had told both Harry and I when we purchased out similar wands. "Aaaaah, yes." His eyes gleamed and he turned the wand in his hands inspecting it from every angle. "Yes, yes, yes, how well I remember. Eleven inches mahogany, phoenix feather core." He turned to Dumbledore as the two shared some sort of knowing look. Mr. Ollivander spent much longer studying my wand, before casting a satisfying spell and returning it to me announcing that it was still in perfect condition. Dumbledore stood from the judges table smiling once again. "Thank you all, you may go back to your lessons now or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end." I debating making an attempt to skip dinner when Mr. Bagman jumped excitedly from his seat.

"Photos Dumbledore, Photos! All the judges and the Champions. What do you think Rita?"

"Eh, yes let's do those first, and then perhaps some individual shots?" Taking the photographs was a painstaking process. Madame Maxime cast a large shadow over all of us wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame. Eventually it was proposed that she simply sit while everyone else stand around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger in an attempt to give it extra curl, while Krum, attempted to remain half-hidden in the back of the group. Which seemed out of place for someone who should be used to having photos taken. Then again had Rita Skeeter not been forcing Fleur and I to the front and center of the photo, I probably would have tried the same thing. After several agonizing minutes we were free to leave the small classroom.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: To the "guest" who reviewed my last chapter, I completely agree that Harry has way more of a reason to be mad than Ron did in the books. I've never been a huge Ron fan to begin with, but I remember reading Goblet of Fire and just thinking Ron needed to adjust his perspective on the whole thing. Everyone out there please keep Reading and Reviewing! I love to know what my readers are thinking! **

**Chapter 24 On My Own **

What I wanted more than anything was to crawl back to bed and put the day behind me. But at dinner Emily kindly reminded me that I had a very disgruntled Professor Snape to deal with first.

"Professor Snape was _really_ mad when you left class this afternoon."

"I noticed." I grumbled pushing food around on my plate.

"I think it's brilliant what you did." I glanced up at Draco, he shook his head as if to say _I didn't tell her anything._

"What are you talking about?" I leaned in, interested in hearing her theory.

"Well, I realized pretty quickly that you were _trying_ to get detention. I know that sometimes when you in a bad mood, you give the Professors a hard time, but potions is your favorite subject, and when we have that class you try really hard to behave. So it was really obvious that you were trying to get detention. What Hermione and I couldn't figure out was why, but when Cedric came in and said that you had to leave for photos, I figured it out. I remembered that you had told Draco and me that students aren't allowed to ask professors for help with anything to do with the Triwizard Tournament, so I figured you were using detention as an excuse to talk to Professor Snape without raising suspicion. It's Brilliant, even though it lost Slytherin one hundred house points." Once again Emily surprised me with how well she was able to see through my schemes.

"You've been thinking a lot about this haven't you?" I asked. He cheeks grew pink with embarrassment.

"Well, I've never really been included in any of yours or Harry's adventures…and then last year when you guys let me come along after Sirius, well it was nice to be included. So I want to help you with anything I can." Once again Emily pointed out something I had never realized before; I took advantage of my best friend. She was right that I never included her in any of the things that Harry and I did while Ron and Hermione were right beside us the whole time.

"Oh Emily, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to exclude you from anything. Things have been so crazy here all the time…I never really thought about…we should have…I'm so sorry!"

"You said that already." She smiled. "It's ok. I know things are hectic for you. That's why I've never really said anything before, but I think this year, you're going to need all of the help you can get."

"Especially since we still don't know how you name ended up in that old cup." Draco added joining in.

"I thought you'd be sporting a 'Team Cedric' badge by now." I turned to Draco changing the subject slightly.

"And have the cup won by a Hufflepuff? House loyalty trumps following some tournament rules any day in my book."

"Is that what you're going to tell your dad when he asks you about it in his letters?"

"Oh no, you know my dad. He doesn't even think we should be going to the same school; imagine if I told him I was supporting you?"

"It's sort of sad that you two can't be friends because of stuff with your parents. I've told my parents all about both of you, and they think you're fantastic, in your own ways." That explained where Emily gotf her incredibly accepting personality from. "You guys think there will ever be a time where blood status won't matter?" she asked us sincerely.

"No." I answered shaking my head.

"Yes." Draco replied at the same time surprising both of us. I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Nothing last forever, they'll have to give up on it eventually, but who knows if we'll live to see it."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Severus' ever familiar voice bellowed from behind me. I wanted to tell him that he was essentially ruining an otherwise decent dinner conversation by lurking around, but I didn't bother as he continued to speak. "I merely wished to remind you Miss Potter that we must meet after the meal to discuss your detentions."

"Of course Professor Snape, I wouldn't dream of missing it!" I was expecting him to sneer a comment through his teeth, but instead he exited the Great Hall without another word. "I wonder what's got him in such a good mood." I grumbled playing with my food again.

"Alice why do you bother putting any food in your plate if you're not going to eat?" Emily asked. Either I was acting pathetic and annoying, or over the summer Emily decided to become much more vocal than she used to be.

"Sorry." I answered putting my fork down. "Hey guys, I'm going to duck out before dessert. Like Emily said I'm not really eating anything anyway, and maybe I can catch Snape before everyone's even out of dinner." I collected my bag and heading towards the door without waiting for them to reply. I stood in front of Severus office door for several seconds before knocking. His face was surprisingly void of all expression as he slowly opened the door, holding it open so I could pass through. Without saying anything I sat down in one of the two chairs across from his desk. He silently crossed the room to join me in his seat at the desk. Knitting his hands together, he placed them on the desk before speaking.

"As always, I've no idea where to begin. Leaving me no choice but to ask you what exactly you were doing this afternoon. Addressing me with such disrespect in front of your fellow students, speaking out of turn, forgetting potions ingredients, and let's not forget the near irreplaceable ingredients you managed to wreck."

"I'm sorry about that; I can pay for those…"

That's not the point Allison. What's going on?"

"I was trying to get your attention…I came to you on Sunday, I wanted you to listen to me for once. You never listen to me. You make up your mind about something, and once it's made up there's nothing anyone can do to change it! I know it's usually Remus' job to listen and you get to make all the decisions, but Remus isn't here so you're going to have to try listening once in a while too."

"Do you think I enjoy mistreating you for even one second?" he asked me honestly. "Do you think I enjoy anything I'm forced to do? Young lady my life is in danger every day, and you storm into this office, and have the nerve to shout at me? To tell me that you think I'm 'a bitter man who hates all children,_ especially_ you'. Need I remind you that also said I was selfish, and it was no wonder no one ever had anything nice to say about me? I expect this sort of behavior from my students Allison but not from you. I thought Remus and I had taught you better than that."

"Sev, I'm Sor…"

"Sorry doesn't take back what you said Alice. You need to learn that you can't run around this castle doing as you please, not caring who gets in your way, and then thinking that all damages will be repaired with an 'I'm sorry'. Sometimes, the word sorry isn't enough to repair damage caused by poorly chosen words. If either of us has been selfish it has been you. No matter what I do for you, you somehow manage to find your way into the most dangerous of situations."

"I do not always…"

"DO NOT interrupt me." Severus bellowed before returning to his even more terrifying even tone. "You have impressed even Dumbledore by getting yourself into a situation where no one can help you. The rule prohibiting Professors from helping their students is very real. There is truly nothing I can do to help you in this Tournament. You've left me completely unable to ensure your safety, and there's nothing either of us can do about it."

"Severus please…" but he raised his hand to stop me. Small tears welled in my eyes. A shouting Severus I could handle. An angry Severus I was used to, but this ghostly calm Severus was truly terrifying. His deep voice was void of any emotion and I had no way of knowing how truly angry he was with me.

"I meant what I said yesterday. You will not be able to visit me while we are at Hogwarts. There are far too many eyes on you. You are on your own, good evening Miss Potter." Stood and crossed the room holding the door open for me. I stood watching as his face changed from Severus to the scowling Professor Snape in an instant. I paused just before the doorway looking up his long hooked nose.

"I love you Severus and I'm sorry."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 A Little Bit Of Information**

I knew from that point forward, I was on my own. Well not entirely. I still had Hermione, Ron, and Emily willing to help me. I was pretty sure that if I asked Draco would give me any help he could. It seems the older we got the more complicated things got between Draco and I. In front of everyone we had to pretend to hate each other, but for our own safety we had to stay friends. Then of course there were the ever complicated arrangements between Severus and Remus. Add on top of that Harry's new found mistrust towards me, and I was simply exhausted by the end of every day. It seemed the only person who saw what a toll it had been taking on me was Emily. Emily worked hard to make sure I was maintaining a proper diet and healthy sleeping habit.

"Have you given any thought to the first challenge yet?" She asked me one night while forcing ham onto my plate.

"I don't see how I can. The only clue they gave us was that it will be something to test our bravery. Between school, and what's going on with Harry, and the ever increasing possibility of my death…" I heaved a large sigh. "Please stop putting food on my plate Em. Filling the plate isn't going to make me eat any more of it.

"Sorry." She squeaked putting to generous amount of potatoes, that she had intended to give me, into her own heaping plate. "I worry about you. Especially with Remus gone. Have you heard from him yet?"

"It's been weeks since I've written him, and he still hasn't replied." I dropped my voice down to a low whisper that only she would year. "But the last time I talked to Harry he said Sirius was in the area. I've just assumed they've been catching up."

"Maybe something will come tonight?" She said optimistically as a flock of owls floated into the Great Hall to deliver the evening mail. Among them was my barn owl Apollo, soaring high before gracefully landing between Emily and I.

"How do you always do that?" I asked her as Apollo engaged me in a game of tug-of-war for Remus' letter. Emily shrugged, and instead offered a small piece of Hall to my owl. Distracted, he turned in her direction, allowing me to pry the letter from his beak.

_Dear Alice,  
Sorry if this letter has taken too long to reach you. I have been visiting with an old friend for a while. When I received your last letter I was greatly concerned and so I did contact Severus. There doesn't seem to be anywhere that you can get out of this. As your Head of House he assured me that you will not be in any danger. I'm smart enough to read between the lines Allison. He's worried to the death about you, and frankly so am I. I've contacted Dumbledore he promises to keep me informed about everything that goes on with this Tournament. In the meantime take care of yourself and do everything you can to win. Feel free to write me if you need anything, I know how Severus can be when he gets upset. I'll tell Snuffles you say hello, see you at Christmas.  
-Remus _

"Well what does Remus say?" Emily said patiently as she stroked Apollo's ruffled feathers. For a brief moment I thought about relaying Remus' message, and carefully removing the parts about Severus. Then I remembered the promise I made to myself about including Emily more. Confident that the letter didn't contain anything too reviling, I gladly passed it over to her. Her bright eyes scanned back and forth on the page analyzing Remus' every word. Occasionally she would mumble small comments to herself.

"The old friend is of course Sirius…Wonder what that means…And that…Who's Snuffles?" She questioned finally looking up at me.

"I don't know for sure, but I assume its Sirius." I answered taking the letter back. "He must be using it as a code name incase our letter gets intercepted. He's always worried about things like that."

"With good reason!" Emily nodded. "If anyone found out that you, Harry or Remus were in contact with Sirius there could be serious trouble."

"Hello girls!" An all too familiar Weasley voice whispered from Emily's left taking both her and Apollo by surprise. Her surprised squeak caused the owl to become irritated. Ruffling his feathers again Apollo took off hopefully for the owlry.

"We like to whisper too!" An identical voice spoke from my right.

"Hello Fred, Hello George." Emily waved to each of them in turn.

"Terribly sorry to interrupt you're important gossip session." George laughed from Emily's side.

"But we've got big news for you Alice!" Fred told me.

"If it's coming from the pair of you, I'm sure it is more gossip than what Em and I were just taking about."

"I told you Fred, she's not interested." George said as he began to walk away from the Slytherin table.

"Such a shame George, she _really_ would have liked our bit of information." Fred answered shaking his head before following his brother.

"Alright!" I called after them. "let's hear it then. What's the big news?" The twins rushed over to us again, Fred clamping his hands over my mouth.

"Don't go shouting it out for the whole hall to hear!" George hissed.

"Return to your dinner!" His brother snarled at some nearby Slytherins. "Nothing to see here!" Fred interjected again, only removing his hands when all watchful eyes, including Severus', had wondered off.

"Well?" I asked impatiently.

"It involves the Triwizard Tournament!" George told me excitedly as he dropped his voice down.

"A clue about the first challenge?" Emily asked. The twins nodded together, an evil grin spread across their identical faces. If Fred and George Weasley were not so lighthearted, that smile would have sent a shiver down my spine.

"We promised Ron we wouldn't tell you." Fred said not removing his smug look.

"So we won't." George added with another laugh.

"Then what was the point of…" but Fred stopped me.

"What we will say is that the information came from Charlie." He answered cryptically. Ron had only mentioned his brother Charlie a few times that I could remember Though he never said what exactly it was that Charlie did, I had come to understand it had something to do with dragons.

"Dragons?" I whispered looking expecting at the twins. Nodding in unison, the smiles faded from their faces.

"But you didn't hear it from us. Our darling little brother would surly be cross if he found out what we told you." George said very seriously.

"Don't worry boys, I won't tell him." I confirmed.

"Knew we could trust you!" Fred chuckled. "Ron wants you to meet him at Hagrid's tonight once all the Professors have cleared out."

"With your invisibilty cloak." George added.

"Thanks guys! Tell Ron I'll see him tonight." They agreed to pass the message along before returning to the Gryffindor table.

"So…dragons." Emily whispered clearly at a loss for words.

"Want to come with me tonight?" I offered knowing she absolutely would want to come along.

"Are you sure it's ok…I mean it sounds like Ron wants to be alone with you.

"Nah I'm sure it will be no big deal. You and Ron get along great, and my invisibility cloak will easily cover all three of us."

"As long as you don't think I'll be in the way."

"Never!" I told her confidently. I took Remus' letter and was about to store it back in the envelope before seeing two smaller slips of paper. The first of which was another small note from Remus.

_Have you seen this yet?_ –R.L.

It didn't take me long to recognize the second sheet, as I unfolded a sizable article from the _Daily Prophet_. I had nearly forgotten about Rita Skeeter's article in the _Daily Prophet. _The article would have published weeks ago, and I had never bothered to look for it. Like Severus, Remus read the _Prophet_ religiously. So of course he had seen the article. Quickly reading the article I started back at the page in disbelief. Rather than painting me as a scared little girl, Rita Skeeter had portrayed me as an adrenaline junky, like I got a sick sort of enjoyment out of putting myself and others into danger. In a sickening sort of way it very nearly reminded me of Severus when he's upset. Aside from being full of falsified information, most likely due to the Quick-Quotes-Quill, Rita Skeeter had taken it upon herself to interview several other Hogwarts students about me. The only joy I got out of the article was Rita Skeepter's description of Harry.

_**I was also given the pleasure of speaking with Alice's twin brother Harry James Potter. The boy's stunning Emerald eyes were heavy with sorrow as he spoke of his sister's daredevilish lifestyle. **_

"_**We don't have a choice." He told me sadly. "When Alice sets her mind to something there's nothing anyone can do to stop her." **_

Emily's face was knitted into concern as I she watched me. "Has Remus sent some bad news?"

"Nothing too terrible. It's the _Prophet_'s article about the Champions. Have you read it?" Emily bit her lip and looked at me sympathetically.

"Yeah. Sorry I should have said something, but I know how stressed you've been. I thought maybe you wouldn't see it."

"Don't worry about it. It's already been weeks. I bet no one even remembers it. What do you say we get out of here so we can meet Ron?'


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 Dragons**

Emily and I joined Ron in the Entrance Hall around midnight. Once Ron told me we were going down to Hagrid's to see the Dragons, he turned to Emily.

"I didn't know you would be coming with us." He said to her seeming excited.

"Well Alice asked me, and I told her I'd leave if you wanted to be alone…"

"Have you ever seen a dragon before?" He asked Emily, interrupting her. He smiled when she shook her head. "Well then if you stay here, you'd only be missing out!" Emily smiled back at him as I threw the Invisibility cloak over the three of us. There was just enough fabric to cover us completely if Ron or I were any taller out feet would have shown at the bottom.

"Lead the way Ron." I whispered. The grounds were very dark. The only light came from far off at Hagrid's cabin. Stumbling a bit in the dark, we slowly made our way to the Cabin. Listening for a few seconds first, I rapped lightly on Hagrid's door.

"Ron? Alice? You there?" Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around.

"Yes, we brought Emily along too." Hagrid held the door open wide so the three of us could slip inside the cabin. Once we were well inside Hagrid shut his door, and Ron slid the cloak off our heads with a gentle tug.

"Got summat ter show yeh," Hagrid looked to me. There was something differnet about Hagrid that night. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had attempted to comb his hair some of the comb's broken teeth were still tangled in it.

"Ron said it's Dragons. You must be really excited! Where are they?" I asked knowing they had to be hidden somewhere students wouldn't stumble upon them.

"Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerselves covered with that cloak,"Hagrid instructed stricktly. It then occurred to me that Hagrid could get in a lot of trouble for showing me the dragons. He was giving me an unfair advantage. Not just against Fleur and Krum, but against Cedric too. Without another word he was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Our small cluster hurried to follow after him. I was surprised to discoverer Hagrid was leading us to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Hagrid, what -?" Ron started to ask.

"Shhh!" said Hagrid, and he knocked three times on the carriage door. Madame Maxime opened it. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid.

"Ah, 'Agrid...it is time?"

"Bong-sewer," Hagrid said, beaming at her. Still smiling he helped Madame Maxime down the carriage's golden steps. Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they began to walked off.

"I think they're on a date." Emily whispered as we followed slowly behind Hagrid and Madame Maxime.

"Only Hagrid." Ron mumbled as we tried to keep pace with the two. It was difficult trying to keep all three of us under the cloak while trying to stay close to Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Apparently the trek was tiresome for Madame Maxime toobecause after a while she asked Hagrid where he was taking her.

"Yeh'll enjoy this," He answered gruffly, "worth seein', trust me. On'y - don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know."

"Of course not," Madame Maxime promised, fluttering her long black eyelashes. We continued walking and I worred that soon Ron and I would have to carry Emily because it was become increasingly difficult for her short legs to navigate the thick forest. Just when I was sure we could go any farther I heard something a short distance away. Men were shouting up ahead, then came a deafening, earsplitting roar. Hagrid led Madame Maxime to a small opening in the tree line. Emily, Ron and I dared to step up to Hagrid's side. If we hadn't known any better, I would have guessed the men were darting around a series of bonfires. Unfortunately we did know better, and I was staring at a real life dragon. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting. Fire was shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground. There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one, which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air; and a gigantic black one, more lizard-hike than the others.

There were about thirty wizards trying to control the dragons, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs. There was to do but stare up at them. Every dragon had the same vertical pupils like a cat's, bulging with either fear or rage. Whichever it was caused the creatures to let out some variation variation of the same yowling, screeching scream.

"Keep back there, Hagrid!" a young red-headed wizard near the fence. He was obviously straining to keep a grip on the chain in his hands. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

"That's Charlie!" Ron said low enough that only Emily and I could hear. Of course once he said it I recognized Charlie from our brief meeting during the World Cup that summer.

"Is'n' it beautiful?"Hagrid sighed, mezmorized.

"It's no good!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!" We watching in silence as each dragon keeper pulled out their wand. In unison they called out the stunning spell shooting showers of stars at the dragons' scaly hides. The dragon nearest to us teetered dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly flameless, though still smoking. Very slowly, it fell. Several tons of scaly-black dragon hit the ground with a thud causing the trees around us to shake. The dragon keepers lowered their wands and hurried to tighten the chains. They then secured the chains to large iron pegs that had been driven deep into the ground.

"Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The pair of them moved right up to the fence. Reluctantly I followed I noticed that Ron and Emily didn't seem keen on the idea of moving any closer either. Charlie Weasley approached Hagrid once he had the green Dragon secured.

"All right, Hagrid?" he panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now - we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all -"

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?"Hagrid said, glancing over at the closest dragon.

"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie indicating the black dragon behind hi,. "There's a Common the smaller one's a Welsh Green over there. That blue-gray is a Swedish Short-Snout, and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red." Once Charlie explained the breed of dragon Madame Maxime began strolling around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the dragons.

"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid," Charlie said, frowning. In a way he was almost scolding him "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming - she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em," Hagrid shrugged, as he continued to gawk at the dragons with awe.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," Charlie said sharing his brother's sentiments from earlier.

"Four..."Hagrid said impressed, "so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do? Fight 'em?"

"Just get past them, I think," Charlie answered. "We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why...but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing, It's back end's as dangerous as its front, look." When Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, I saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. My first instinct was to silently play that It wasn't mean stuck with that thing.

"How's Alice doing? From what Ron said she's having a tough time with all this." Charlie asked.

"She's fine," Hagrid replied. It was obvious he was distracted by the collection of dragon eggs that the dragon keepers were returning to their mothers.

"I've had them counted Hagrid." Charlie warned, breaking Hagrid from his trance. "Just hope she's still fine after she's faces this lot," said Charlie grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. "I didn't dare tell Mum what they've got to do for the first task. She's already in an uproar about it." Charlie then imitated his mother's anxious voice. "'How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!''" I could gape up at the dragons any longer. I had read about dragons hundreds of times, but nothing prepared you for meeting one face to face.

"Can we go now?" as asked to Ron and Emily, who each agreed it was time to leave. Knowing Hagrid and Madame Maxime would not miss us, we silently turned away and made our way out of the forest.

"Mind if you stop one more place fir-" Ron began to ask before I voice called through the night.

Harry sped up, skirting the edge of the forest; he had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Sirius, and he couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than he did right now - when, without warning, he ran into something very solid.

"Who's there?" It was Karkaroff. He was looking around very suspiciously in the darkness. We had no choice but to remain remained still and silent. After a minute or so Karkaroff must have assumed he'd just heard an animal of sorts. He sketched away, heading in the direction where we had just came.

"He's gone looking for information about the first task." I told Emily and Ron once Karkaroff was well away from us.

"I'm sure he'll find Hagrid and Madame Maxime, not problem. They aren't exactly difficult to spot are they?"

"That'll make Cedric the only one who doesn't know the first task." Emily pointed out as Ron led us up to the castle. Ron mumbled something Cedric deserving the disadvantage as we slipped into the Entrance Hall undetected.

"Where did you say you wanted to stop Ron?" I asked trying to shake the Tournamet a moment.

"Would you mind coming to the Gryffindor Common Room with me?" Ron asked.

"Wont we get in trouble?" Emily asked biting her lip.

"Come on Em, I'm a Potter, troubles my middle name" I gently nudged her with my elbow. You're you're the one who said you wanted to come on more adventures…"

"You're really going to make me regret saying that aren't you?" She said before agreeing to come along. Emily and I waited under the invisibility cloak while Ron spoke the Gryffindor password sneaking us inside the Fat Lady portrait.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 Theories **

The Gryffindor Common Room was empty except for Harry who sat on a couch by the fire. Reluctantly I pulled the cloak off of Emily and myself.

"Ron why'd you bring her along?" Harry grumbled at Ron, as he pointed in my direction.

"Harry she's your sister, she should know what's going on. Look I get mad at my brothers all the time, Ginny more than any of them…but if we stopped talking every time we had a fight…family's all you got Harry." I was fairly sure it was the most sentimental thing Ron Weasley had ever said. It was awkward, but sentimental. Harry opened his mouth to argue, but before he was given the chance, Sirius' head popped into the fireplace. It was shocking at first, but I assumed it was so form of ½ flooing. Harry scrambled from his seat to crouched down by the hearth.

"Sirius - how're you doing?"

"Never mind me, how are you?" Sirius asked gravely.

"I'm -" Harry stopped and looked over at me. Reluctantly Harry recounted everything that had happened since left Hogwarts last term. "But Alice is here, now…and…I think we're ok now. Right?" Harry asked finishing with our recent disagreement.

"Absolutely. Hello Sirius!" I told them both waving into the fire. Sirius looked back at us blinking. His eyes were full of concern. Something I had never seen on Sirius' facebefore.

"Dragons we can deal with, Alice, but we'll get to that in a minute. I haven't got long here...I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you both about."

"What?" Harry asked leaning into the embers.

"Karkaroff," Sirius said. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

"Yes." Harry replied nodding.

"He was caught, he was in Azkaban but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."

"That explains why Moody was acting so weird when Dumbledore told Karkaroff and Maxime I'd have to compete." I said recounting the event to Harry, Sirius, Emily and Ron.

"Karkaroff got released?" Harry asked still not able to grasp the concept. "Why did they release him?"

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," Sirius said bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names...he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place...He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"Wonderful." I I muttered. "But...are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."

"We know he's a good actor," Sirius replied. "because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry -"

"- you and the rest of the world," Harry replied bitterly, exchanging a look with Ron. Apparently there had been a lot of important_ Prophet_ articles I had missed over the last few weeks.

"and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article two months ago, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," Sirius added hastily, seeing Harry about to speak, "but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."

"So...what are you saying?" said Harry slowly. "Karkaroff's trying to kill Alice?" When Sirius didn't say anything Harry amended his statement. "Karkaroff is trying to kill Alice _and_ me?"

"I've been nearing some very strange things," Sirius calculated. "The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark...and then - did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"

"Bertha Jorkins?"Emily piped up.

"Exactly...she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last...and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, but...it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" Ron questioned.

"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins she was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above James, Remus and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Ron. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."

"So...so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?" Emily asked shaken up. "Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"

"I don't know," said Sirius slowly, "I just don't know...Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put Alice's name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."

"What does Remus think?" I asked. "I know he's been to visit."

"Difficult to say, you know Remus, always keeps his opinion to himself. But if I had to guess I'd say he's thinking something similar. Which brings me to the dragons. I'm sure Remus wouldn't mind me giving you some advice. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell, dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon."

"Yeah, I know, I just saw," I agreed.

"But you can do it alone," said Sirius. "There is away, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -"

But Harry held up a hand to silence him, my heart began to pound heavily as we heard footsteps coming down one of two spiral staircase.

"Go!" he hissed at Sirius. "Go! There's someone coming!" Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire, and I tossed the invisibility cloak over Emily and I. There was a quite pop and Sirius was gone. Slightly panicked Emily and I watched the base of the stairs. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning anyway? We heaved a sigh of relief when we saw Hermione's flat faced cat Crookshanks prancing down the stairs. He was closely followed by a bushy haired Hermione.

"I just came down to see how everything was going." She said. "Did I miss Sirius?"

"He just left, we didn't know who was coming down the stairs," Harry explained.

"Oh I'm sorry…" She told him frowning.

"We were almost done anyway." I said pulling the invisibility cloak off of Emily and me once again. Fully visible, Emily and I said goodnight to our favorite Gryffindors. Once we recovered ourselves, we quickly made our way down to our dorm.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 Moody's Help**

I wasted no time looking for an efficient way to get past the dragon. The next morning Hermione and I passed on breakfast so that we could put our heads together trying to find a spell that matched what Sirius had said.

"Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate...' But Sirius said a simple one would do it..." She commented looking up from the text book she was reading.

"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then," I suggested. "And we'll have to be quitter, Krum keeps staring at us."

"I don't think that has anything to do with what we're doing today." She said shaking her head. "He comes to the library often….sometimes he stares at me."

"Really? Do you think he likes you?"

"Well, no of course not." She said shyly shoving her face into a book.

"Well either way you like him." I said reaching across the table and pulling a spell book off the top of a sizable pile.

"I'm interested in him, yes. I mean isn't that the point? We're supposed to be getting to know each other. Harry and Ron don't see it that way though." She told me shaking her head. "They won't even talk to anyone from the other two schools. The say it's like supporting the other team. Everything is quidditch with them." She added rolling her eyes. A silence rose over us as Hermione become absorbed in the book she was reading. I tried desperately to read the book in front of me, but I just kept picturing those razor sharp fangs, and flame throwing nostrils. After several hours with no results we decided to break for the day. With a growling stomach I made my way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Did you and Hermione have any luck?" Emily eagerly asked as I plopped down beside her.

"We couldn't find anything." I said disappointed as a reached for the nearest serving dish of food, not even caring what it was. "We're stopping for the day; thank Merlin because my head feels like it's going to explode." Emily left me to my thoughts as we ate our lunch. I absent mindedly scanned the Great Hall taking a tally of which Hogwarts students were wearing "POTTER STINKS" or "CEDRIC DIGGORY THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!" badges. While playing this sink game with myself, I saw Cedric leaving the Hufflepuff table. I had spent a lot of time the night before trying to decide if I should tell Cedric about the dragons. Assuming Madame Maxime and KarKaroff had already told their Champions, Cedric would be the only one in the dark. If Fleur and Krum didn't know about the Dragons, it would make it seem like Hogwarts was given another unfair advantage.

"Em, I'll be right back." I told her as I decided to follow Cedric out of the hall. Cedric was standing about 100 feet away talking with a small group of sixth years. I wasn't about to blurt out the first task infront of them, so I needed to create a distraction.I notice Cedric was carrying a bag full of books. He was most likely going to the library with his friends to do some homework. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, I pulled out my wand and muttered "Diffindo!" Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Cedric waved his friends on, telling them he'd meet them in the library. I tucked my wand back into my pocked and waited for Cedric to be alone before speaking.

"Hi," Cedric said, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. "My bag just split...brand-new and all..."

"Cedric," I said bending down to pick up a book. "The first task is dragons." I told him as I handed him a small stack of books.

"What?" said Cedric, taking the books from me.

"Dragons," I repeated. "They've got four, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them." Cedric's gray eyes almost looked panicked as he studied my face.

"Are you sure?" Cedric he asked in a hushed voice. He must have thought I was lying.

"Dead sure," I answered certainly. "I've seen them."

"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know..."

"I can't tell you how I found out, but I can tell you that I'm not the only one who knows. Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too. I'm sure they've told Fleur and Krum." Cedric continued to stare, now with a look of suspicion.

"Why are you telling me?" he Questioned.

"I don't know." I told him honestly. "It just seems fair. If everyone else knows, you should know too. I wouldn't want to be the only one who didn't know next week when the time comes." Cedric was still eyeing me suspiciously when a districting clunking noise approached us.

"Miss Potter, come with me." Moody growled. My eye widened at Cedric, the best I could do was hope that Moody hadn't overheard us, as I followed him into his office. The office which used to be Remus'. If Moody asked how I found out about the dragons I wouldn't be able to lie. An Ex-Auror like him would definitely keep a bottle of veritaserum on them It I was forced to drink that there's no tell what secrets I would spill. No to Keep Severus, Draco and everyone else's secrets safe I'd have to cooperate with Moody. Hopefully he wouldn't feel the need to use veritaserum if I cooperated. Moody closed the door behind us and turned to look at me, both his magical and normal eye fixed on me.

"That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter," he told me quietly. That certainly was not the reaction I had been expecting. I didn't know what to say, so I decided it was in my best interest not to say anything.

"Sit down," I sat down looking around thinking about how different it was since the room belonged to Remus. On the desk stood a Sneakoscope. What appeared to be a mirror hung across from me on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus. I watched the shadows trying to figure out what exactly the mirror did.

"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?" Moody asked studying me.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at a strange golden rod. It reminded me of the Muggle object called a metal detector I had learned about in muggle studies.

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies...no use here, of course, too much interference - students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff," he added in a growl.

"And what's the mirror for?"

"Oh that's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk." He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window that I hadn't noticed. It had seven keyholes in a row. I was about to ask what was in there, When Moody started asking questions of his own.

"So...found out about the dragons, have you?" I tried to think of a way to tell Moody how I found out about the dragons without getting Hagrid and Ron in trouble.

"It's all right," Moody said hobbling over to Remus' old chair. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."

"I didn't cheat!" I countered. "It was - a sort of accident that I found out." Moody just grinned in response.

"I wasn't accusing you, lass. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human." Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swiveled around so fast it could have flown circles around my Firebolt.

"So...got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?"

"No," I answered disappointed.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you," Moody said gruffly. "I don't show favoritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is - play to your strengths Think now. What are you best at?"

"Potions…and I'm fairly good at Quidditch, but I don't see how..."

"You're a damn good flier from what I've heard."

"Harry's the better flyer really. Besides I'm not allowed a broom, I've only got my wand..."

"My second piece of general advice," Moody loudly interrupted me, "is to use a nice, simple spell that will enable you to get what you need." Of course it all made sense. The best way to get passed the dragon was to get into the air. For that I'd need my Firebolt. I wasn't allowed my Firebolt, but I was allowed my want. A Summoning Charm could take care of that.

"Thank you Professor." I said excusing myself from the room. We had been studying the summoning charm for weeks with Professor Flitwick, It wasn't too difficult you just have to be very specific when summoning. If I practiced the spell a for I few hours I was sure I could learn it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys it's been about 7 chapters since my last review so if you all could send in some reviews I'd love that!**

**Chapter 29 The First Task**

When the big day finally came, Lessons stopped halfway through the day to give all the students time to get down to the location of the first task. I felt detached from my body as other Hogwarts students either wished me good-luck or hissed snide comments. I spend several minutes trying to think of who was going to contact Remus if something happened to me. Before I know it Cedric and I were being ushered out of the Great Hall by our heads of house. Professor Sprout and Cedric walked a bit ahead of us as she seemed to offer him some friendly encouragement. That left Just Severus and I walking together in the bitter November air.

"Don't do anything stupid." He grumbled at my side. Dumbledore's got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand...The main thing is just to do your best, and stay alive."

"Wow Sev! You're the most encouraging person I've ever met! Thanks so much for the pep talk!" I said in thick sarcasm. I low growing noise escaped his throat as he glared at me.

"Now is not the time or the place, you lady." He led me down to the Dragon enclosure I had seen days before. Close to where Emily, Ron and I had stood before there was a tent, its entrance facing Severus and I."You're to go in here with the other champions," Severus told me pointing to the door. "Mr. Bagman is in there, you will receive further instructions from him. Do you understand?"

"yes." I answered plainly.

"Good luck, Alice."

"Thanks Sev." I told him before walking into the entrance of the tent. Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even grumpier than usual. Cedric was pacing up and down. When I entered the tent Cedric offered me a smile which I returned. My goal was to not show any of them how terrified I was.

"Alice!" Bagman cheered happily. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!" He waited until I was seated on another wooden stool before speaking. "Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in! When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," he held up a small sack of purple silk. "From which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too...ah, yes...your task is to collect the golden egg!" Each of us gave Bagman a sign that we had understood what he said before Cedric began pacing the floor again. It felt like mere seconds between when Bagman last spoke, and when he pulled out his purple silk bag.

"Ladies first," he said, approaching Fleur and I. Fleur picked first. he put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, model of a dragon, a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. Fleur showed no sign of surprise, only confirming my suspicion that Madame Maxime had told her about the dragons. I went next pulling out... the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as I stared down at it. Charlie Weasley's words echoed in the back of my mind as I stared down at the model Horntail.

"_I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing, It's back end's as dangerous as its front."_

I should have known from the moment Charlie identified the Horntail as the most vicious that it would be my dragon. When Bagman moved onto Viktor he too seemed unfazed when he pulled out a Chinese Fireball with a small number three on it. Krum didn't even blink as he watched the model dragon roam around his palm. Cedric, who was last to choose drew the Swedish Short-snout the number one dragon.

"Well, there you are!" Bagman said. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now...Alice...could I have a quick word? Outside?"

"uh...sure," I said following Bagman out of the tent. We walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then he turned to me with a fatherly expression on his face.

"Feeling all right, Allison? Anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you. I think I'm good."

"Got a plan?" Bagman asked, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Alice...Anything I can do to help..."

"Mr. Bagman we're not allowed to accept any help." I reminded him. "And I've got a plan that I think will work out."

"Nobody would know, Alice," Mr. Bagman winked.

"No, I'm fine, honest. I've got a plan." I repeated. Somewhere on the other side of the tent a whistle was blown.

"Good lord, I've got to run!" Bagman exclaimed hurrying off with another word. Sitting inside the ten was agonizing. Fleur, Viktor and I sat in the tent listening to the crown. One minute there was screaming, the next gasping and Bagman's commentary only made everything worse. Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow"... "He's taking risks, this one!"..."Clever move - pity it didn't work!" After about 15 minutes there was a deafening roar from the crowd as Cedric had caught retrieve the egg.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!" Fleur was trembling from head to foot; but she heft the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. That left Krum and I in awkward silence. With the same terrible some effects. Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" "Oh...nearly! Careful now...good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" Fleur successfully retrieved her egg in ten minutes, and soon the third whistle blew for Krum.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" Bagman cried, as Krum slumped out, I was alone. "Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and I heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew a collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Krum had finished and it was my turn. I stood on wobbly legs, wish I were at home with Remus curled up under a good book. The fearsome whistle blew and I decided to give everyone the show they were looking for. Before walking out of the tent, I plastered on a the biggest smile my face could muster. Emerging from the tent, I waved at the crowd. There were hundreds of faces staring down at me from the stands. I looked around taking in the scene. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon me, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. Still smiling I raised my wand, and called out clearly and calmly

"ACCIO FIREBOLT!" I knew it would take a while for the firebolt to get there, but after about a minute I began to get nervous. Then I hear the whooshing air from behind the tent. My Firebolt came lurching forward, and then stopped midair allowing me to mount my broom. Bagman was shouting something, but Bagman, and the crowd seemed miles away from me. I kicked off the ground soaring high above the Horntail. I turned to look down on the crowd. The vicious Horntail had shrank is size from way up there. She was about the size of a dog, and the crowd? They were ants from where I hovered. For the first time, since my name had been spewed from the Goblet of Fire, I felt like I could actually win this tournament. Getting the egg from the Horntail would be just as easy as catching a snitch before Harry or Cedric. The first this I needed was so diversion tactics. I dive down, the Horntail's head now following me. Just in time I was able to pull up from the dive before a jet of fire was released exactly where I would have been.

"Great Scott, she can fly!" Bagman yelled as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?" I soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following my progress; its head revolving on its long neck. If my planed worked I'd be able to make the Horntail dizzy. She opened her mouth and I plummeted down. That was a mistake. I had missed the flames, but instead I guided myself too far right and into one of the long spikes on the tail. I glanced over my right side quickly. There was a gash on my right shoulder, but it wasn't too deep. I spent about a minute or two zooming around before I realized something. The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. She was afraid to move too far from them. I would have to gradually get her to leave the eggs. I started swirving back and forth in the sky to keep the Horntail's watchful eyes on me. I flew higher, the Horntail's head rose after me, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent. I rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. I was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but I was too high for her to reach me with it. She shot fire into the air, but I successfully dodge it. Finally she spread her great, black, leathery wings and I dove down. Before the dragon could discover where I had disappeared to, I was at the large pile of eggs, with the golden egg secure in my hand.

A large honest smile spread across my face as I soared out over the stands. The crowd was cheering in every direction.

"Look at that!" Bagman yelled. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get her egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Miss. Potter!" Almost instantly the dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the Horntail. Severus, Professor Moody, and Hagrid stood at the entrance of the enclosure, each looking their own version of thoroughly proud. Up in the sky I breathed a sigh of relief. I had survived the first task.

"Well done Miss Potter." Severus said offering me a hand shake. "I'm afraid you'll have to see Madame Pomfrey before the judges give out your score. I think there is an empty seat next to ." He was speaking plainly, but with Hagrid and Moody so close, it was the nearest I'd get to an _I'm proud of you."_

"Yeh did it, Alice!" Hagrid bellowed hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -"

"Thanks Hagrid." I smiled up at him.

"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," Moody nodded from the top of his walking stick. I passed him and made my way into the Medical Tent. Madam Pomfrey was standing at the mouth looking worried.

"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling me inside. The tent was divided into cubicles and I could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas. He didn't seem to be badly injured either. Madam Pomfrey examined my shoulder, ranting furiously the whole time. "Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky...this is quite shallow...it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though..." She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but with a quick poke of her wand, it healed instantly.

"Now, just sit quietly for a minute and then you can go and get your score." I obliged glad for a reason to sit. I laid my head back on the soft pillow seconds before a small crown burst in on me.

"Alice, you were brilliant!" Ron Exclaimed.

"You were amazing! You really were!" Hermione agreed.

"Fastest time too! I you did so well!" Emily added. Only Harry looked at me very seriously.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"That depends." I said. "Are we ok?"

"Yeah. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry."

"forgiven! And My shoulder's just fine see." I turned so that the four of them could get a good look at my shoulder.

"Come on, it's time to see your scores!" Emily exclaimed, as she bounced on the balls of her feet. I scooped up the golden egg and my Firebolt and together we all exited the tent. Together Ron and Emily were recounting the entire first task to me as we walked.

"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground...turned it into a dog...he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well - the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away." Ron told me.

"And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance - well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire - she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand." Emily said.

"And Krum - you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs - they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them." Ron finished. Through there babbling I was able to make my way to the edge of the enclosure. The five judges sat in raised seats draped in gold.

"Each one is out of ten." Hermine informed Maxime was the first judge to raiser her wand in the air. A long silver ribbon shot out of it, and twitsted itself into a large figure eight.

"Not bad!" Ron said as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air. Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Ludo Bagman proudly shot off a ten.

And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too…four.

"You're tied in first place, Alice! You and Krum!" Charlie Weasley said as he hurried over to us "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes...Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."

"Thank you Charlie. Thanks for everything!" I called as he raced off. "Well I guess I'll see you guys in a few. I said to Emily, Harry, Hemione, and Ron before heading of to the champion's ten. The first thing I noticed inside the Champion tent was that one side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was most likely mending his burn. He grinned at me when I entered the tent.

"Good one, Alice."

"And you," I replied smiling.

"Well done, all of you!" began. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth, but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open...see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg, because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!" Surprised by how quick the meeting went. I gladly left the tent to find my friends.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 After the Task**

I found Emily, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and the entrance to the castle standing with Fred, George, and Ginny. The group seemed to be comparing the four champions against each other.

"You know what? I reckon you could win this tournament, Alice." Ron said as everyone nodded in agreement.

"I don't know guys." I shook my head. "It's only the first task. I'm just glad I'm alive."

"You were brilliant out there!" Fred exclaimed.

"Diggory didn't think of flying did he?" George pointed out.

"Neither did dumb Krum." Ginny added in. As always Hermione shared her serious concern.

"Alice's got a long way to go before she finishes this tournament. If that was the first task, I hate to think what's coming next."

"Right little ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Ron asked. "You and Professor Trelawney should get together sometime." Emily giggled, possibly recurring Trelawney's most recent of a long line of death predictions.

"Well I'm just trying to be realistic." Hermione grumbled.

"Thanks everyone. If it's all the same to you, I'm going up to the owlry. I want to tell Remus about the first task." I excused myself from the small group, but only after agreeing to meet up with them again in an unused charms classroom. We all ventured off in separate directions, and I could only assume they were planning some sort of victory celebration. Since Fred and George were involved this probably was an accurate assumption. I did write to Remus about the first task, I also tried to hint around to what Sirius had said about Karkaroff, hoping maybe Remus would have a better idea about what he was capable of. Moments later I met Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Emily in the small charms classroom. Where, as I guessed, they had planned a small party.

"This is awful heavy," Emily said as she picked up to golden egg from the table. "What's inside Alice? Can you open it and show us?"

"Emily you know she's supposed to work out the clues on her own. It's in the tournament rules..." Hermione scolded.

"I was supposed to work out how to get past the dragon on my own too." I reminded her.

"Go on, Alice, open it!" Harry encouraged. Emily passed the egg to me and I looked down at it blankly. It took me several minutes to figure out how to open the tightly sealed golden egg. I was disappointed to discover the inside of the egg was hollow and completely empty. Even worse was that the moment I opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room.

"Shut it!" Ginny bellowed with her hands over his ears. I slammed it shut as fast as I could.

"What was that?" Fred asked staring at the egg. "Sounded like a banshee...Maybe you've got to get past one of those next!"

"I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing...maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower." George suggested.

"I've got plenty of time to figure it out. For now, let's just enjoy the fact that I've made it this far alright?" It was nice, our small group tucked away in an abandoned classroom. We stayed up late into the night just enjoying each other's company. After a while I began to wonder if my parents and their friends had ever snuck food from the kitchen and hid in an old classroom. From the way Severus and Remus talked about their school days, I was certain they had stayed out past curfew at least once. It was nearly one in the morning when Emily and I sleepily made our way down to the Slytherin Dormitory. As I readied myself for bed, I removed the model horntail from my pocket and placed it on the side-table near my bed. The Hungarian Horntail yawned, curled up, and closed its eyes. Thinking suddenly of Hagrid, I couldn't help but think that maybe, Dragons weren't so bad.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Lilian Hope Black thanks so much for your review! Of course there's more coming! Glad that you are still following along with my twins! Please continue to review! **

**Chapter 31 The Yule Ball**

In the weeks that followed, the halls of Hogwarts buzzed with the results of the first task. The harassment I had endured from most of the Hogwarts students had at least lightened. Many of them were impressed I had thought to summon my broom, and that had somehow earned me a bit of respect in their eyes. Although things at Hogwarts had improved slightly, I was still looking forward to the impending Christmas break. It was just weeks before the Christmas holiday when the Slytherins and Gryffindors sat in Professor McGonagall's Transfigurations class. The lesson was nearly over as Hermione and I collected the birds we were meant to transform into guinea pigs. The bell was due to ring at any moment as Professor McGonagall called for the class' attention.

"I have something to say to you all. The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish. Dress robes will be worn, and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to - er - let our hair down, but that _does not_ mean, that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

"Don't have to worry about me Professor; I'm going home for Christmas." Ron told her as he began packing away his notes.

"Same here," I nodded as I helped Hermione put the last of the birds in a big cadge on McGonagall's desk. "I wouldn't be caught dead at a dumb ball anyhow." The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and began to exit the classroom. Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Miss Potter - a word, if you please."

"That's what you get for insulting years of tradition." Hermione stated matter-of-factly as she left the room with the rest of the class. I shrugged my shoulders knowing she was right. Sev and Remus were both always saying that I needed to be more careful about the things I said. I supposed it was about time my professors started to take notice as well.

"Miss Potter I'm not sure if Remus has made you aware, but the champions and their partners…"

"What partners?" I asked interrupting her.

"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your dance partners."

"I've got to learn to dance? Oh no. I don't dance." I blurted out.

"Oh yes, you do," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball."

"I'm not dancing, and I'm not going to the Yule Ball. Like Ron said, I'm going home."

"It is traditional," said Professor McGonagall firmly. "You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner."

"But Professor…"

"You heard me, Miss Potter. I'm sure Remus and your Head of House, Professor Snape would agree." I very nearly pointed out that neither of them seemed like the type to force me into dressing robes and a ball, but I decided to just leave the classroom altogether.

"And how many detentions did you just earn yourself?" Hermione asked when I joined her, Ron, Harry and Emily in the hall.

"None." I answered. "But apparently the Triwizard Tournament has found another way to ruin my life. Since I'm a Hogwarts Champion, I'm expected to not only stay at Hogwarts during the Christmas Holiday, but also dance at the opening of the ball with a dance partner."

"Like as a date?" Harry asked.

"I suppose so. Hadn't really thought about that, when McGonagall said 'dance partner', I just assumed…oh Merlin I have to find a date for this ridiculous ball?"

"And you're stuck here on Christmas." Ron pointed out.

"It's not so bad; I've spent most of my Christmases at Hogwarts, so I'll be here." Harry said.

"I was planning on staying for the Yule Ball, so naturally I've already written my parents to let them know." Hermione told us.

"'I suppose if everyone else is going to stay, I might as well too." Ron added.

"Who do you think you're going to go to the ball with?" Emily asked.

"Honestly I have no idea Em. Right now I just want to go grab something to eat. Let's head over to lunch, we'll talk about it later."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 Finding A Date**

"What are you going to do?" Emily asked me. She was sitting on the edge of my bed letting her short legs swing freely.

"What do you mean?" I asked stretching my arms high above my head. I faked a yawn hoping she'd think I was too tired to have this conversation.

"Well I mean about the Yule Ball...who are you going to go with?" She stared through her bouncy blonde curls timidly.

"Oh that." I sighed heaving myself off the bed and began crossing back and forth around the room. It had been a week since professor McGonagall had told us about the ball. Rather than use that time to find a...partner for the dance, I had tried to be more productive. By productive I mean dedicating every second of my free time to trying to get out of going. I figured Remus was the weakest link to crack, so I tried convincing him that I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas. Apparently he was prepared for such an excuse because he kindly reminded me that the Yule Ball wouldn't start until 8pm so Severus and I could still floo home for Christmas and would have plenty of time to floo back for the Ball. When it became obvious to me that he would budge on the subject I tried Dumbledore. Who insisted I attend the Ball both for his honor and in the good name of Hogwarts. He explained that it already looked as if Hogwarts had been shown a large amount of favoritism by having two champions, it would be "simply bad form" if one of the Hogwarts Champions was absent from such an important festivity. By the time I reached Severus he must have already spoken with Remus and Dumbledore. When I made my way down to his office I had barely stepped through the door before he barked "You're going to that Ball Allison." And refused to say anything else on the matter.

Which left me in my current predicament, pacing the room in a last ditch effort to get out of the Yule Ball. I would barely get out a suggestion before Emily would shoot it down.

"Maybe I could..."

"You know it won't work." She'd cut me off.

"I could try to..."

"But you won't be able to."

"Well what do you suggest?" I blurted in exasperation.

"Find a date." I snorted. "I'm serious Alice. You're very pretty I'm sure you have boys ask you all the time."

"No they don't Em. I mean way back when we started at Hogwarts I used to say that Draco was my boyfriend but..."

"So ask Draco! Great idea!" I shook my head at her.

"No bad idea. Draco and I are just friends, and we're not even good friends. We're just Friends because we have to be." I said reminding her of an unbreakable vow Draco and I had taken at the beginning of our second year at Hogwarts. "All that aside, his parents are part of an organization that is basically dedicated to killing me."

"I forgot about that...but you have lots of friends Alice you could ask someone you're closer to. Someone like Ron." She looked down at her shoes when she said his name.

"I thought you were going to ask Ron." I asked causing her to look up in Alarm.

"Me ask Ron? W-why would you think that?" She stared at me from the bed as I paced the room.

"Well I saw How disappointed you looked when he first said that he was going home for Christmas, and then I saw how happy you got when he said he'd stay at Hogwarts with us. I've also noticed how hopeful your eyes get every time he says he still doesn't have someone to go with. I can tell you like him Emily."

"Is it that obvious?" She asked burying her face in her hands. I sat next to her on the bed and put my arm around her shoulder.

"Only to someone who knows you as well as I do. You should ask him to the ball."

"But you're a Hogwarts Champion you need to have someone..." I held my hand up stopping her.

"If Ronald Weasley were the last boy left on earth, I'd still rather go to the Yule Ball with Harry. Trust me. He's all yours."

"Then who are you going to go with?" She asked me again.

"I've still got a bit of time." I reassured her. "I'm sure I can find someone to go with, I'll just have to look harder. In the meantime," I said pushing myself up off the bed again, "I've got to meet Harry in the library so I can help him fudge his divinations homework. Want to come along? I'm sure Ron will be there..."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?" She asked regrettably as she followed me out of the room.

"Nope." I answered shaking my head.

"I told you she'd bring Emily!" Harry exclaimed to Ron as we approached the table in the back of the library where they sat.

"Was I not supposed to?" I asked flashing my eyes between the two of them.

"No it's perfect!" Ron cheered. I noticed the smile that spread across Emily's face.

"Ron and I can't find our notes from class and we were hoping you'd bring Emily along so maybe at least one of us would know what the homework was."

"Well lucky for you, Emily thought to bring her notes along." I told them as I plopped down next to Harry. This forced Emily to sit in the only empty seat next to Ron.

"What took you so long to get here anyway?" Ron asked.

"Emily and I were talking about my Yule Ball predicament." I answered.

"You still haven't found someone to go with?" Harry scolded.

"Sorry who did you say you were going with again Potter?" I said leaning in with my head on my hand.

"Not that it's any of your business, Allison, but I plan on asking Cho Chang…as soon as I can get her away from all those Ravenclaws she's always surrounded by." I rolled my eyes at my brother's lame excuse for why he was still unable to find a date.

"I suppose you're not in much better shape are you?" I nodded in Ron's direction but before he was able to answer me Emily burst out,

"Will you go to the ball with me Ron?!" She looked shocked as she covered her mouth in horror. Ron looked at Harry, and then to me before shrugging his shoulders.

"Sure." A wide smile spread across both of their faces as they turned away from each other and towards their homework.

"We thought we heard our darling little brother was in here." George Weasley said poking his head out from a bookshelf.

"Congratulations on the date little Ronald, can't wait to tell mum!" Fred said peaking in from another corner.

"Least I've got a date!" Ron retorted.

"And what makes you think we haven't got dates Ronny?" Fred asked.

"Well who are you going with then?" Harry asked curiously. George picked up a piece of parchment from our table and crumpled it into a ball. He then tossed the parchment ball across the library so it hit Angelina Johnson.

"Oi! Angelina!" He called out ignoring the angry glared from Madame Madam Pince. Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet looked over her shoulder, before calling back to him.

"What George?" she sighed.

"Want to come to the ball with me?" he asked. Angelina eyed George up and down before nodding.

"All right, then," she answered and she turned back to Alicia continuing their chat.

"Well I'm going with Angelina." George said finally turning back to Harry.

"What about you Fred?" I asked expecting him to pull a similar stunt to one of the other sixth year girls at Angelina's table.

"It's a surprise." He answered shortly. "Now if you don't mind I've got some business to discuss with Harry."

"Fred I've really got some homework to do so if you don't mind…"

"Actually Harry I do. Follow me, this won't take very long." Fred turned on his heels and walked out of the library.

"You'd better follow him Harry." George advised. Harry looked between Ron, Emily, George and I before sighing and following after Fred.

"What's Fred want with Harry?" I asked George as he sat down in Harry's empty chair.

"I imagine you'll find out soon enough. So what homework are we working on young fourth years?" George said as he began digging through Emily's notes and Ron and Harry's star charts.

"Divinations." Emily answered cheerily.

"Rubbish." George said decidedly as he tossed his handfuls of parchment back on the table. "Who do you reckon they'll pick as the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain next year?" And just like that the Divinations homework was long forgotten as Ron and George launched into a discussion about their possible future Quidditch Captains. Since Emily had done her homework days ago she began talking to me about different styles of dress robes. My brain bounced back and forth trying to follow both conversations. Eventually Fred returned with Harry both were smiling thought I wasn't sure I wanted to know why. Once Harry and Fred had joined us at the table any hope of the boys getting their homework done was lost. The four of them were now playing with an assortment of Fred and George's joke stuff, making quite a bit of noise. Not wanting to lose our library privileges for the rest of the year Emily and I ducked out of the library leaving the boys to their own demises.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 Mission Accomplished**

I slept through breakfast the next morning, my body deciding I apparently needed that extra hour of sleep. Not wanting to be late for Muggle Studies I raced around the room dressing and packing my bag at the same time. I ran out of the Sytherin common room and almost headlong into Emily.

"I just wanted to make sure you were going to make it to History of magic on time."

"We have History of magic first?" I ask smacking myself in the face. "I thought I had Muggle Studies. Oh well, let's just go I'm sure I'll fall asleep with or without my textbook as a pillow." I say as I head upstairs towards Professor Binn's classroom.

Sure enough about twenty minutes into class my eyelids became very heavy. One my one students around me began nodding off. We were all abruptly awoken to the sound of a knock on the classroom door. Fred Weasley stood at the entrance grinning from ear to ear.

"Mornin' Professor, I'm looking for Alice Potter, Dumbledore needs her."

"Of course Mr. Weasley. Miss Allison Potter, you're needed in Professor Dumbledore's office." Fred Weasley was probably the last person I would send to fetch a student for me, and I suspected he was also pretty low on Dumbledore's list, but despite my doubt I decided to gather my things and follow Fred outside. Anything was better than History of Magic right? Once we were outside of the classroom I started to head off towards Dumbledore's office. My suspicion was confirmed when Fred gripped my arm and pulled me in the opposite direction.

"Where ya going?" He asked me.

"Dumbledore's office." I answered faking innocence. "You said Dumbledore needed to see me so I figured I should go meet him in his office."

"Dumbledore isn't actually looking for you. I just said that to get you at of class. Come on." Fred told me as he pulled me off towards an unknown location. We stop in the middle of the seventh floor next to a strange tapestry of trolls dancing ballet. "Stay there." Fred commanded pointing at a spot on the floor. He then paced back and forth three times in front of the tapestry.

"Fred what are you…"

"You'll see." He answered me grinning. I had seen that grin too many times on Fred and George's faces to be completely at ease, but I was still incredibly interested in what Fred Weasley was up to. Within minutes a large door began to appear across from the dancing trolls tapestry. "Close your eyes, trust me." He added seeing the look of apprehension I shot his way. Reluctantly I closed my eyes and allowed Fred to guide me inside the mystery room. There was a very sweet floral scent mixed with the smell of burning wax. "You can open your eyes now." I opened my eyes to see a room full of hundreds of floating candles like the ones found in the Great Hall, and vases bursting with flowers all around the room. Without saying anything Fred handed me a joke wand I knew to be of his and George's creation. Carefully I gave to toy wand a slow wave and fireworks burst from the tip. Large Hearts were popping in the ceiling before the fireworks began to spell something.

"Alice Potter…" I read aloud. "Will you…go to the…Yule Ball…With me?" Immediately I turned to Fred who pointed up at the ceiling.

"I think the fireworks have a crush on you." He told me chuckling.

"Is this a joke?" I asked. I had spent a lot of time the last four years avoiding Fred and George's harebrained schemes, mostly because Harry and I had been caught up in our own. Fred Weasley was nice enough but I didn't know if I liked him in that way. Of course if it was all a joke there was no need in considering it as a possibility.

"No." Fred answered very seriously.

"But last night in the library, you said you had a date, and that it was a surprise."

"I only said that so that you wouldn't know I was planning to ask you. That's what I wanted to talk to Harry about last night. I wanted to make sure he'd be alright with us going together. And it will still be a surprise if we don't tell anyone. That is if you say yes." I thought for a moment studying his face. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find Fred physically attractive, and I had always found him funny, and he had went through all this trouble to find this enchanted room and make everything just right.

"Yes Fred, I would like to go to the Yule ball with you.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 Unexpected Letters**

"Oh there you are Alice! What did Dumbledore want?" Hermione questioned as I joined them at the end of Binn's lecture. I thought for a moment about what I would tell her. Fred and I had decided to keep it secret that we were going together, but Harry already knew and I was certain Emily would work it out of me eventually. Smiling I looked over at Hermione.

"Dumbledore wasn't actually looking for me. Fred just wanted to talk."

"Ooooh, talk about what?" Emily gushed.

"It's a secret." I whispered to our small group, noticing the disappointed frown on both Emily and Hermione's faces. "But I will tell you guys, if you promise to tell no one." Hermione and Emily nodded with excitement. Ron who had probably already been told either by his brother or mine, turned to Harry with a bored expression. "Fred wanted to ask me if I would go to the ball with him." Emily squealed and Hermione smiled.

"And what did you say?" Hermione asked.

"I said yes." I answered calmly. As we walked to our next class I continued to recount what happened once I left History of Magic. Emily and Hermione squealing, giggling and aweing the whole way through, Harry and Ron simply trailed behind us rolling their eyes occasionally.

"Are you lot finished yet?" Harry asked when we arrived outside the charms classroom.

"Don't be cross just because you haven't got anyone to go with. " Hermione told him sharply.

"No one to go with? What happened to asking Cho Chang?" I teased.

"She turned him down." Ron s

mirked. "Said she was going with Diggroy."

"Not surprised." I scoffed. "You could always ask Ginny." I suggested.

"Nah Gin already agreed to go with Neville." Ron told me as we took our seats.

"Who are you going with Hermione?" I questioned turning to me left. She looked as if it was a sore subject.

"Ronald and Harry have been trying to get me to tell them for weeks, However they'll just have to wait until Christmas."

"Well I'm looking forward to it then." I smiled trying to ease the tension. Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up trying to teach during the week before the Christmas holiday. He instead allowed us to play games in his lesson and spent most of it talking to me about the perfect Summoning Charm I had used during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Other teachers were not so generous. Severus of course was among those less enthusiastic about the holiday. He assigned an essay of no less than five scrolls, due by the start of the holiday. Why that man hated Christmas at Hogwarts I would never know.

"Come on Alice let's get out of here." Harry said tugging on the sleeve of my robes.

"I want to ask Professor Snape a few questions about the essay." I told him as I gathered my things together. Harry heaved a great sigh and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Why you love potions so much I'll never understand. See you at dinner!" He called before racing out of the dungeons. Severus stood at the front of the classroom his back to me as he checked the labels on the potions concocted during class.

"Professor Snape," I called out clearing my throat. He turned to face me two potion vials in his hands. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your essay."

"No Allison, writing a potions essay twice as long as require will not excuse you from the Yule Ball." I glanced around the room, we were alone now and able to speak freely.

"Actually I found a date." I told him reluctantly. Being a girl raised by two men, the subject of dating never really came up. I had just always assumed that when the time came Severus would disapprove of any boy I dated and Remus would be happy as long as I was happy. Now that I had my first date it was finally time for us to talk about it. "And I have a few questions." Severus raised his eyebrows at me, clearly caught off guard. He stared at me frozen in thought for a moment or two, but he recovered quickly placing the potion vials back on the stand they had come from.

"Wouldn't you much rather be having this conversation with Remus?" He asked me wiping his hands on his robes.

"Yes." I answer honestly. "However, Remus is not here. He is at home and as much as both you and I do not want to have this conversation, we have to."

"Very well, follow me." He walked out of the classroom and straight through to his private chambers. He skulked around the kitchenette mumbling things like "Should have known this was coming" and "Curse that old fool and his tournament." I could only assume the 'old fool' he was talking about was Dumbledore. Severus opened a drawer and pulled out a two letters. Written in shimmering purple ink, one envelope had my name on it, the other Harry's. "Sit down." He commanded me by pointing to the couch. "This is for you." He said handing me the envelope with 'Allison' printed on it.

"What is it?" I asked taking the envelope from him and sitting as I was told. Sitting down next to me, Severus looked very serious.

"It's a letter." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I had gathered that much Sev. Who is it from?"

"You're parents." I open my mouth as a million questions flood through my mind. Severus holds his hand up silencing me. "Please let me finish. Towards the very end of the war we all knew things would end one way or the other though we were hopeful, it did not look as if the war would go our way. As such many witches and Wizards took action writing out wills and securing futures for their families. Your mother, being the brilliant witch that she was, wrote letters. These letters are to be given to you and your meddlesome brother during life events your parents deemed important. The first of which happens to be, your first date. You may open it here or wait and read it in private. I have no idea what the contents of that letter are nor do I wish to know. It is yours and yours alone, but you should know that if after you read that letter you have any questions, I shall answer them for you."

"Thank you Severus." I looked down at the envelope in my hand. "I think I'd like to read my letter now."

"Very well, I shall leave you here so that you may have some privacy. If you need anything from me I will be in my office. I only ask that you also deliver this letter to your brother." He handed me the second envelope.

"But what do I tell him when he asks me where I got it?"

"You're creative, I'm sure you'll think of something." He answered leaving me alone. I placed Harry's letter down on the side table to my left, and curled my knees up to my chest, opening the letter. I was surprised to see that inside the envelope was not one but two letters. The first written in a swirly dancing script was from my mother, the second in scratchy blotchy writing must have been from my father. I chose to read my mother's letter first since I was most interested in what she would have to say.

_To my Darling Daughter Allison Lillian Potter,_

_If you are reading this that means that something horrible had happened to me. However I'm certain you've grown to be a beautiful smart young lady and that you're living happily with Severus and Remus. If you are reading this, you must also be preparing to go on your first date, otherwise Remus has given you the wrong envelope and you should have him fetch you the right one. Believe it or not my first date was with your father to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. I say it was a date because it was the first length of time we spent together without Sirius, Remus or Peter tagging along. Now I'm sure you have many questions about dating, many of which can be answered by Severus or Remus so I will not fill the entire length of page with things you can and can't do. Besides your father is scratching away furiously at his parchment so I'm certain he's taking care of all of that. The most important thing to remember is that no one can make you do something if you don't want to dear. If you are uncomfortable with a situation simply let the boy know. Anyone worth dating will want you to feel comfortable. If you run into any trouble remember you have Severus and Remus there to help. I know Severus is rough around the edges but once you get to know him, he's one of the most caring men in the world. And Remus worries a lot but that is because he's had a lot of trouble in his life and he tries to protect everyone. I can only imagine your brother has grown to be as troublesome as your father. He's currently rolling around on the floor with Sirius, who has volunteered to watch the pair of you while your father and I write these letters. Be patient with Harry, he's just a boy after all. Remember my gentle little girl you're father and I love you very much and I can only hope with all of my heart that you never have to read this letter. Please watch over the boys._

_Your Mother,_

_Lillian Potter_

_Please watch over the boys_. I repeated to myself as my eyes began to water. It was the closest I would ever get to have a dating talk with my mother. I was sad and angry that I'd never get to meet the wonderful person who had thought far enough ahead to write that letter, but I was also grateful that she did write it. Whipping my eyes I looked to the second letter.

**Dear Little Ali,**

**If you're reading this, Voldyshorts or one of his greasy followers has taken to offing your mum and I. No worries though I'm sure we're happy wherever we are. This letter is also for your first date. When your mother told me to write this letter I was confused, because as I'm sure you remember, you and I made an agreement the day you were born. No dating. Ever. Your mother then told me that it is very possible you'll become a rule breaker like me, so I've sat down to pen this letter to you. No dating ****until you're at least seventeen. ****Alright no dating until you're 300 like Dumbledore.**** Just no dating ever, ok Ali?**

Here he stopped writing and instead sketched a large detailed drawing of a golden snitch. The letter began abruptly across the middle of the snitch.

**Your mother just kicked me under the table when she saw I was doodling instead writing. Well what does she expect she's had me here writing these things for hours. When I tried explaining that you'll never read these letters because we're all going to be just fine, she had your Uncle Remus join in on her lecture. He's supposed to be babysitting you and Harry not me! Then again I suppose he hasn't got much to do see as how your sleeping in his arms and Harry and Sirius are playing on the floor. What was I even supposed to be writing about? Oh right dating. No dating ever. If you absolutely must date someone make sure it's not a greasy Slytherin alright? Remember, stay away from boys, and look forward to the hippogriff I plan on sketching in your wedding letter. **

**Love always,**

**James Potter.**

I smirked. No wonder everyone said Harry was exactly like my dad. The man obviously never worried about anything. It was sad how naïve he had been about their situation. Here he was writing letters in case of his death but all he was thinking about was what he'd draw next on one of my letters. I also began to wonder how that guy had mentally survived being in hiding. Just his letter alone was filled with a dozen preoccupied thoughts. I would have loved nothing more than to stay curled up re-reading my parents' letters, but Severus was waiting for me and dinner would be starting soon. Reluctantly I folded the letters up and put them back in my envelope. Grabbing my school bag and Harry's letter, I headed out to Severus' office.

"Did that answer all of your questions?" Severus asked.

"Not all of them." I told him. "But it did make me feel a lot better about going on my first date."

"What questions do you have?"

"Well firstly how in the world did my father last in hiding as long as he did? The guy must have gotten an intense case of cabin fever." A low chuckle erupted from deep in Severus' throat.

"And Second?"

"What if the boy I'm with wants to kiss me or something and I don't want to kiss him back?" Severus shifted in his chair looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"Then you tell him that you do not wish to kiss him or advance your physical relationship any further. If this boy is a decent human being he will leave it at that. If not you tell someone immediately, and this boy will have me to deal with." Severus' expression changed from uneasy to dark. "Who, may I ask is your date for the Yule Ball?"

"Fred Weasley." I told him. Severus' features relaxed and he leaned back in his chair.

"Molly and Arthur have raised their children to be acceptable members of society and I am confident that young Mr. Weasley will treat you well. Have we addressed all of your concerns?"

"One last thing." I began choosing my next words very carefully. I hated asking Severus for money even though he was more than generous with the money he had. "The attire for the Yule Ball is formal, and so I'll need a pair of dress robes…" I let my sentence trail off. Severus knew what I was asking and he rose from his chair.

"I had assumed this subject would come up. AS such I had taken the liberty of ordering you a set of dress robes I thought you would find, acceptable." Severus walked back to his chambers and returned with a large parcel. "They are a Christmas gift and shall not be opened until Christmas is that clear?" This idea concerned me a little. I had seen the dress robes that Molly had picked out for Ron. They were hideous. Though I thought of the way Severus dressed. He tended to prefer expensive fabrics and above all things the color black. Worst case scenario he had bought me a set of plain black dress robes.

"Yes Sir." I nodded excitedly taking the box from Severus.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 Christmas Morning**

When Christmas morning arrived I had to admit to myself that I was incredibly excited.

"Come on Emily!" I exclaimed pulling her out of bed.

"So early." She grumbled into her pillow.

"But Emily it's Christmas!" I Whined making a puppy dog face even though she couldn't see it. Her full head of curls rolled in my direction. That was her attempt at ignoring me.

"Emily Smith I am going downstairs to retrieve our Christmas presents when I come back I expect you to be sitting up, awake, and ready to open presents!." I paused giving her a chance to protest. "I will take your lack of response as a yes." I returned ten minutes later my arms full of presents. Kicking the door open I called out into the room. "Just call me Alice Clause!"

"Good morning Alice." Emily responded in her usual cheery voice. Placing the presents on the floor in front of her, I notice she is now sitting cross-legged on her bed with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. Beaming from the top of the hot coco mug she smiled.

"Aren't House elves just divine?" Finishing her sip of coco she pointed to her dresser. "I had Dobby bring you one as well." Smiling I reached for the second mug. I plopped myself down on the floor taking in slow gulps of coco.

"So," Emily said as she eyed the large pile of packages. "What's first?"

"Mine!" I said picking up a long package wrapped in thick emerald green paper.

As Emily took the package from me she pointed to a box with similar dimensions wrapped in pink stripped paper. "That one's from me!"

"Together then?" I asked. We smiled at each other knowing exactly what the other had gotten. Emily and I had been giving each other the same gift since our first year at hogwarts. It was always whatever the newest Syltherin Scarf was available at Madame Malkin's shop. Sometimes they were silk sometimes they were knit, but every year we would pick out a scarf and buy it for each other.

"I'm really glad we went with the knit scarf this year, some of mine are getting rather worn."

"I just hope it matches my dressing robes, Because it is going to be cold tonight! Here this one is from your parents." I said handing her a small round package. We quickly began wearing away at the pile of presents on the floor. This year Ron's mum had sent both Emily and I sweaters that she has knitted for us. I eagerly pulled mine over my head when I saw that she had taken the time to knit a dragon onto mine. Ron had sent his usual gift of chocolate frogs, Hermione had given me some Classic Muggle Books from her personal collection, and Harry had given me a delicate crystal barn owl Christmas ornament.

"We should probably clean up this mess." Emily said gesturing to floor around us that was covered in bows, wrapping paper and boxes of all sizes.

"Yeahhh." I scanned the room taking in the miss. "Or we could leave it for the house elves like the rest of the Slytherins do."

"Alice they have the whole castle to clean plus the ball to get ready for tonight, there's no need to make them clean up our messes too!"

"Relax Emily." I say pulling my wand from my pocket." I was only joking." With a few flicks of our wands we had cleaned our room. "Now that wasn't so bad." I exclaimed flexing my wand arm.

"Hey you never opened your dress robes." Emily said pointing to the large package on my bed.

"Since I have to go to the Ball tonight, Dumbledore is letting me floo home to see Remus before the Ball. He sent me the dress robes so I want him to see my face when I open them."

"If Remus picked them out, I'm sure you'll love it."

"Thanks Em." _Except they're really from Severus._ I thought to myself wishing again that I could tell my best friend the truth about my guardians.

"When are you leaving?" she asked me a small frown in her eyes.

"In just a few minutes actually." I answer after checking the time. "I'm sorry Em, I hate to ditch you on Christmas but I've gotta go." I snatched up my Dress Robes and head for the door.

"Don't worry about it Alice, I'll see you at the Ball tonight." She answered. "Tell Remus that I said hello, and that we all miss him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Can do." I told her as I left the room. I carefully walked through the dungeons making certain no one was following me to Severus' office. Once inside Severus' office, I entered his private chambers where I expected to find him waiting for me. I was instead greeted with an angry hoot from Severus' Eagle Owl Eileen. "Hey there girl." I soothed as I stroked her head. "Where's Sev?" I asked her. "Severus! SEV!" I called throughout the rooms searching for him. A second angry hoot erupted from Eileen. I doubled back to the sitting room to see what she's squawking about. After closer examination I realize Eileen had a note tied to her. I delicately untied the note, unfolding the small piece of parchment.

_Alice, please Floo to your Uncle's home. He is expecting you over for Christmas dinner. I will join you shortly. –Severus. _

_Don't the Death Eaters know it is Christmas?_ I sighed to myself. "Well nothing we can do about it is there?" I ask Eileen as she perched herself above the fireplace. "Ok I'm going, I'm going." I grumble as I dig my hand into the bucket of floo powder Severus kept by the fire.

"Good afternoon Alice." Remus sat in an armchair reading the Christmas edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Remus!" I set down the box containing my Dressing Robes jumping into his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck. We hugged in silence for several minutes before either of us spoke.

"How's school?" Remus asked. I rolled my eyes hopping off his lap.

"I haven't seen you in months and the first thing you say is 'how's school?' really?"

"No the first thing I said to you was 'good afternoon Alice'."

"I'm doing well in my classes. I've Got O's in Transfiguration, Charms, Potions of course, and Care of Magic Creatures. I've got an E in Charms, Muggle Studies, and History of Magic, but only A's in Herbology and Astronomy." I counted my class subjects off on my fingers as I listed them.

"And how are you doing in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" He asked leaning forward.

"I've got an E, though I think it is because Professor Moody is more interested in my fame than my school work."

"I see." Remus watched me for a moment. "Speaking of fame, congratulations on getting past the dragon." I shook my head violently.

"Can we please talk about something else, it's bad enough I've got to go to the ball tonight, I'd really rather not think about the Tournament right now."

"You are so much like your mother, it is astonishing. If your father had found his way into the Triwizard Tournament at only fourteen as you have, he would have basked in the glory. Your father loved to be the center of attention. Your mother on the other hand, would have been just like you. She preferred to let James catch all of the attention while she silently observed everyone else."

"Do you ever miss them?" I asked looking over at him.

"Every day Alice. They were my best friends." With that Remus pushed himself up from the chair. "But today is Christmas, this is supposed to be a happy day. What do you say we get dinner started?"

"Only if I can enchant the potatoes to peel themselves this year!" I said excitedly following Remus into the Kitchen.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 Christmas Day**

Remus and I waited several hours for Severus to arrive for dinner. He finally did at five o'clock, his face looking more worn and hollow than usual.

"Happy Christmas Severus!" I said running over to him.

"Happy Christmas Allison." During dinner Remus and Severus talked about the happenings at Hogwarts and the Triwizard Tournament. It was obvious to me that Remus was lonely being stuck here all alone and what he really needed was some adult conversation. Severus must have sensed this too because for the first time it seemed it Severus actually wanted to talk to Remus, rather than his usual indifferent tolerance of him. They were both lonely men who needed each other in their lives. I loved them very much and hated to think what they'd be like without me to bring them together.

When dinner was finished and dishes were washed, Severus and I once again had to return to Hogwarts, leaving Remus behind.

"Alice don't forget this." Remus said handing me a large package I had forgotten about.

"You haven't opened those yet?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"You said not to open them till Christmas. So I waited till I could open them with you." I answered placing the large box on Remus's coffee table. I slowly lifted the lid off the box, praying that my dress robes were not as hideous as Ron Weasley's. I gasped taking in the sight of them. Laying delicately in the box were Emerald Green silk dress robes. They shimmered against the candlelight as I removed them from the box. After closer examination I realized the emerald green at the collar of the robes faded around the waistline slowly transforming to a deep charcoal black at the hem. The entire dress was covered in sparkling silver flicks, of what I couldn't imagine.

"Sev they're beautiful!" I told him as my eyes began to water.

"I thought you would find them adequate." He said smirking I Carefully folded the dress robes and placed them back in their box.

"Thank you." I whispered throwing my arms around his neck.

"One more thing Alice." Remus said handing me a long flat box. I suspiciously lifted the lid to reveal a silver bracelet filled with emeralds and diamonds. I gripped the box tightly as I wound my hands around Remus's neck.

"Thank you." I pulled away look at the two men who raised me. "Thank you both, really this is all too much." I expected Severus to agree with me. He was never one to believe in excessive spending and those things had certainly been expensive.

"Your parents only wanted the best for you Alice. We're just doing our best to make that happen. Merry Christmas." Remus told me, his perpetual sad look returned.

"Merry Christmas Remus." I smiled. "We'll be home again soon." I assured him stepping into the fireplace.

Back in Severus' quarters he instantly ushered me to the door.

"Hurry along, I imagine Miss Smith is eagerly awaiting your return." Severus had been right about that, Emily sat perched on her bed staring at the door expectantly. At least that's how I found her once I returned to our room.

"You've been ages!" She whined as I crossed the room to my bed.

"I'm sorry, how was your day?"

"It was fun." She stopped to think. "This afternoon there was a huge snowball fight with most of the Gryffindors. Ron almost won, but then Fred and George took him out with a bludger covered in snow. Should we start getting ready?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes." I answered removing my dress robes from the box. Emily and I pulled on our dress robes carefully not wanting to reveal them to each other until we were wearing them. I was surprise how well my dress robes fit me. Severus had never taken me to purchase my school robes and it had been years since he had gone shopping with me as Myra Prince. (A fictional niece he had created so Death Eaters would not become suspicious of Severus being with a young girl.) Now that I had the dress robes on, I examined their style and shape. The long trumpet sleeves followed the same fading patterned as the body. The cut of the dress was formed for my body, with the hem stopping a few inches past my knees. Thankfully I had a pair of strappy black Sandals that would work with the dress robes. I was suddenly aware of the Slytherin crest necklace I was wearing. It had been a Christmas gift from Draco our first year at Hogwarts and I had worn it every day since. I wondered if I should take it off, but decided that Draco and I were still friends and there was no reason not to. Clasping my bracelet from Remus on my wrist I called over my shoulder.

"Ready over there?" I asked Emily.

"Yes. You?"

"Yes! One three then?"

"One!" She called back excitedly.

"Two!"

"Three!" We shouted together turning. Emily was wearing bright blue short sleeves dress robes. From the waist the front of her robes exploded into a fluff of white tule and ruffles. Across the waistline deep blue ribbon wound around and turned into an elegant bow in the back.

"Those are so you!" I thought out loud.

"You look amazing!" She complimented. We finished getting ready together before heading out into the common room.

"I'm meeting Ron in the entrance Hall, where are you meeting Fred?" Emily asked once she had every one of her perfect curls in place.

"He's meeting me at the top of the dungeon stairs." I told her.

"Well let's get going! You don't want him to be waiting long!" She exclaimed pulling me up the stairs.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 First Date**

The idea had occurred to me that maybe Fred was playing some sort of joke on me. That he might not show up to the ball at all and I would be left alone and humiliated. I had dismissed the idea as soon as it had come to me. Fred and George liked to play jokes, but they'd never do anything that would purposely hurt someone. I was still greatly relieved to see him standing there at the top of the stairs smiling. The dress robes that Fred wore were formfitting and nearly new.

"Evenin' ladies." Fred said with a bob of his head.

"Good evening Fred." Emily answered back giggling as she curtsied. Fred maintained his smile as he gave Emily a very goofy bow.

"I believe Ron is waiting for you in the Entrance Hall." Fred said to Emily.

"Right," She nodded. "See you two later!" she called back before rushing off to find Ron.

"Didn't think I was going to show?" Fred asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"What makes you say that?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"You looked relieved to see me." He countered.

"Maybe I was simply relieved to see you. I've been nervous about this whole thing. There's no way I'll be able to dance in front of everyone without messing up. I'm going to look foolish…"

"Relax." Fred said placing his hands on my shoulders. You only look foolish if you act like a fool." He told me very seriously. "And as far as everyone else, forget them. We're going to have a great time tonight. And if you mess up, I'll be right there beside you, alright?" I nodded. Fred Weasley had never struck me as the type to give inspirational speeches before. He didn't stay serious for very long though. Following my nod he straightened himself up puffing his chest out like I'd seen him do many times as he impersonated his brother Percy. "Then let us join the others my lady." He held out his arm, and I looped mine around his elbow. For some reason, I couldn't help but smile.

The Entrance Hall was packed with students all milling around waiting for eight o'clock. Students who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Despite the Hall being filled to near capacity Fred and I had no trouble finding Harry, Emily and Ron.

"Took you long enough!" Ron barked as we approached.

"He's just saying that because we've been waiting in this crowd so long." Harry told us. "Say Alice you've met Luna before right?" He asked me as I notice a small blonde girl next to him for the first time.

"Yeah we've met a few times. Nice to see you again Luna." I nodded in her direction.

"Why hello!" She answered as if she hasn't noticed Harry and I talking about her the last few seconds. Then again knowing Luna Lovegood, she probably hadn't. The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by a pretty girl in blue robes. Everyone was lurking around trying to see who the girl with Krum was. I couldn't help but smile as all the boys were craning their necks, apparently none of them could spot Hermione without her bushy hair that was now shiny and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material. But even I had to admit she was holding herself differently. Maybe it was just the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. I waved to my friend as she smiled nervously, not used to all the attention.

It wasn't very long before Professor McGonagall's voice rang throughout the Hall, "Champions over here, please!"

"I guess that's us." I said to Fred.

"We'll we're not going to leave a Hufflepuff to represent all of Hogwarts are we?" He asked taking my arm again. I rolled my eyes not wanting to point out that most of the students would rather have a Hufflepuff Champion than a Slytherin.

"I guess we'll see you lot inside then." I smiled, before letting Fred lead me off towards McGonagall. Professor McGonagall, told us to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside. We were going to enter the Great Hall in procession while the rest of the students were seated. I took this time to examine the Champions and their partners. Fleur Delacour had come with Roger Davies of Ravenclaw. Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Personally I found her to be a bit stuck up, but that was his problem. Cedric and Cho Chang were next in line. Cho had been attempting a conversation with her fellow Ravenclaw, but it was failing because of his constant sideways glances in Fleur's direction. Fred and I stood next to them as the two boys struck a conversation about the only thing they had in common, quidditch. Hermione looked relieved when she and Victor made their way to my side.

"I don't think I ever want to become famous." Hermione whispered so that Krum couldn't hear.

"Why not?" I asked her in a low voice.

"All the attention all of the time! It must be awful for Victor to have to endure the constant staring." I chuckled.

"Hermione for once no one was staring at Krum. They were all looking at you!"

"Me? Why I haven't done..."

"They don't know it's you. They're all trying to figures out who that beautiful girl with Victor Krum is."

"Oh that's ridiculous. I'm sure everyone knows it's me." I shook my head.

"Watch." Fred and Cedric were involved in a very civil discussion about Hufflepuff's chances at the House Cup next year. I gently tapped Fred on the shoulder, he turned mid-sentence facing me. "Sorry to interrupt boys, but I just wanted to introduce Fred to Victor Krum's date." Fred turned looking closely at Hermione. Realization took to his face, and Fred smiled.

"Hello Hermione, I didn't see you there behind the fancy hair and dress robes."

Hermione shifted awkwardly in place before smiling back.

"Thank you Fred. It's nice to see you too."

"See?" I asked her as Fred returned to his conversation with Cedric. Hermione didn't say any more on the subject but her cheeks did grow pink as she stared off into the crowd. As students entered the Hall we waved to Harry, Luna, Emily and Ron who were some of the first to pass by us. I watched bitterly as Draco Malloy and Pansy Parkinson past, thuggish Crabbe as Goyle trailing behind them. George and Angelia were the next familiar faces to pass by us, but not before promising to save us seats at their table. Neville and Ginny were among the last to file into the nearly full Great Hall. Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall had us line up in pairs and follow her into the Hall. Fleur and Roger led the way, Cedric and Cho following behind them. Without a word Fred offered me his hand, I took it smiling. I heard footsteps that I assumed to be Krum and Hermione filing behind us. The Great Hall applauded as we entered. The walls of the Hall had been covered in sparkling silver frost, a snowy white garland was strung about the room. The House tables had vanished. Instead there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people. We followed Professor McGonagall up toward a large round table at the front of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.

Dumbledore smiled happily as we approached the top table, but Karkaroff seemed to be sulking as he watched Krum and Hermione draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime was applauding politely. Only when we were close to the table did I notice the absence of the Mr. Crouch. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley. Once our small parades made our way to the judges table Percy motioned for me to take the empty seat next to him. Fred tightened his grip on my hand slightly, but guided me over towards his older brother. The smug look on Percy's face made him look like a kid who just stole a cookie from the cookie jar.

"I've been promoted," Percy burst out and from his tone I thought he was announcing his election as supreme ruler of the universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

"Why didn't he come?" Fred asked leaning in from my left.

"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising, overworked. He's not as young as he was, though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry. Then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with, that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around. No, poor man, he's having a well-earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place." I didn't have to look at Fred to know that he was rolling his eyes at his brother's pompous attitude. Ignoring their sibling rivalry I turned to the food on my plate. Only to realized there was no food on the glittering golden plates. Instead there were small menus lying in front of each place setting. I looked up at Professor Dumbledore for an answer. He sat a few chairs over, staring pensively at his menu. He then turned his attention to his golden plate and spoke to it very clearly. "Pork chops!" Instantly Pork Chops appeared. The rest of the table followed Dumbledore's lead, placing our orders with our dinner wear. While we ate judges and Champions alike engaged each other in conversation. It was the first time any of us had the chance to talk socially and I started to think that maybe the triwizard tournament might not be such a bad idea.

"Veil, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking," Krum told Hermione. "Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these - though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains -"

"Now, now, Viktor!" said Karkaroff interrupted with a gruff laugh, "don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Igor, all this secrecy, One would almost think you didn't want visitors."

"Well, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, displaying his yellowing teeth to their fullest extent, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"

"Oh I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor," Dumbledore responded modestly. "Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished. But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five-thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon - or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder." Fred snorted causing pumpkin juice to come through his nose. Percy frowned at his younger brother not amused in the slightest. Dumbledore however, gave Fred a knowing wink. The idea struck me that the room Dumbledore was talking about must people the same room that Fred took me to when he asked me to the ball. Across the way Fleur was criticizing the Hogwarts decorations to Davies.

"Zis is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course . . . zey are like 'uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat. We 'ave none of zis ugly armor in ze 'alls, and eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, 'e would be expelled like zat."She slapped her hand onto the table dramatically. Roger was watching her talk with a very dazed look on his face, and he kept missing his mouth with his fork.

"Absolutely right," he said quickly, slapping his own hand down on the table in imitation of Fleur. "Like that. Yeah." I turned away from their conversation, it was clear it was not going to progress any farther than Fleur insulting Hogwarts, and Davies too distracted by her looks to correct her. I instead turned my attention back to Hermione and Krum. Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly. He apparently kept calling her "Hermy-own."

"Her-my-oh-nee," she said slowly and clearly.

"Herm-own-ninny."

"Close enough," she said, catching my eye. I sent her a sympathetic look that she accepted with a smile. Cho and Cedric spent most of their dinner whispering quietly to each other, even while Fred and I tried to engage everyone at the table in conversation. Eventually everyone had finished their meals and Dumbledore rose to his feet. He asked everyone in the hall to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed along the walls leaving the floor clear. He then conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it. The weird Sisters entered the stage, to an eruption of applause.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 First Kiss**

"May I have this dance?" Fred whispered into my ear. Until then, I had not realized that the lighting in the Great Hall had been greatly reduced or that other Champions were standing with their partners under the bright lights of the dance floor. Fred guided me to the dance floor with one arm around my waist. We took to our position, and I placed my hand in his. Fred skated across the dance floor surprising me with his light feet.

"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked him my eyes focused on his as we glided across the floor. An evil grin spread across his face.

"I didn't." He answered still smiling wickedly. Fred led me into a turn, spinning me slowly. "It's the shoes." He whispered.

"You and George invented dancing shoes?" I couldn't help but smile at the genius of their idea.

"Brilliant isn't it?" He asked obviously proud of himself. Fred and I continued to twirl and sway to the even tempo of the music.

"I think it's one of your more practical ideas." Soon enough the Triwizard Champions will no longer the center of attention as students from all three schools began filling in on the dance floor. I scanned the room for George and Angelina who seemed to be gliding across the floor as easily as Fred and I.

"We made a pair for you too, but you're doing so well without them." I shook my head.

"I'm just following your lead."

"Watch Gin and Longbottom." Fred said nodding his head in his sister's direction. Neville and Ginny were dancing close by. Ginny was doing well attempting complicated steps. Neville on the other hand was frequently stomping on her feet as he tried to follow her lead. "See even though Gin's leading him with the help of her shoes, Longbottom still can't follow along."

"Maybe you should have enchanted Neville's shoes instead of Ginny's." I answered still watching them. "Who else has a pair?"

"Just Georgie, Gin and I." Fred told me.

"No enchanted dancing shoes for Percy?" Fred scoffed.

"I'm sure even if we offered them, Percy wouldn't take them. 'Sides he'd probably run to mum with them. If she found out what George and I have been up to, she'd lose it."

"Don't worry Fred your secret's safe with me." I told him as we swirled across the floor.

"Nicely done you two!" Harry called over the music as he and Luna danced awkwardly beside us. "Where'd you learn to dance like that?" Fred smiled roguishly.

"With lots of hard work my boy." He replied before sneaking a wink in my direction. We finished out the song waving to familiar faces as we twirled by. Once the song had concluded the crowd burst into rapturous applause, all four Champion couples bowed in response. "See that wasn't so bad was it?" Fred questioned.

"Need I remind you that one of us has cheating shoes?" I scolded as we walked off the dance floor.

"Only to keep up with your natural talent." He countered quickly.

"You two seem to be getting along well." Ron called from a table far to our left. As we approached he tossed us each a bottle of butterbeer. Luckily Fred skillfully caught both bottles which would have otherwise fallen to the stone ground. He twisted the cap off one bottle and handed it to me. He opened the second bottle for himself. Holding it by the neck he tilted his bottle back drinking. Emily sat by Ron's side swaying and bouncing to the music. Ron on the other hand was glaring at Hermione and Krum who were dancing across the room.

"Ron, why aren't you dancing?" I asked trying to break his concentration.

"I tried, turns out I'm rubbish. So unfortunately Emily is stuck sitting here with me." He told me pointing his thumb in her direction.

"Oh Ron I don't mind." Emily told him as she placed her arm on his shoulder reassuringly. I knew Emily better than that. She had been looking forward to dancing at the Ball all month. I could only assume she was putting aside her feels to spare Ron any additional embarrassment. Apparently Fred was following my line of thought.

"Emily, what do you say we let these two finish their Butterbeers, and we'll dance the next song?" He asked my best friend as he placed down his half full bottle. Emily's eyes lit up at the idea of being able to dance. She looked over at Ron regretfully.

"Well as long as Ron doesn't mind."

"Go ahead Emily I promise I'm not going anywhere." Ron told her with a smile.

"What's up Ron?" I questioned taking Emily's vacant seat while Fred led her away.

"I'm still trying to figure out who that girl is with Krum. She's so beautiful."

"Ron that's Hermione!"

"No it's not!" He shook his head violently.

"Yes, yes it is. I talked to her while we were outside waiting for everyone to go in. Look, she's headed this way." I pointed at our periwinkle clad friend who was in fact headed our way. Hermione came over and sat down at what I assumed was Lunna's empty chair.

"Hi!" she fanned herself with her hand. "It's hot, isn't it?" She gasped. "Viktors just gone to get some drinks." I tried to give her another sympathetic look, which was overshadowed by Ron's pout. Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?"

"If you don't know," He snapped, "I'm not going to tell you." Hermione seemed taken aback by his abrasiveness.

"Ron, what…" but he cut her off.

"He's from Durmstrang!"Ron spat. "He's competing against Hogwarts! Against Alice! You…You're…" Here Ron struggled to find words strong enough to show the betrayal he felt towards Hermione. "fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!" It didn't take Hermione long to launch a counter attack.

"Don't be so stupid! The enemy! Honestly -who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph?Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?"Ron chose to ignore all of this.

"I suppose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?"

"Yes, he did." Hermione told him fearlessly. "So what? If you really want to know, he said he'd been coming up to the library every day to try and talk to me, but he hadn't been able to pluck up the courage!"

"Yeah, well - that's his story," Ron refuted nastily.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione shrieked.

"Obvious, isn't it? He's Karkaroff's student, isn't he? He knows who you hang around with. . . . He's just trying to get closer to Harry and Alice, get inside information on them." Hermione was deeply offended that much was clear from in her shaking voice.

"For your information, he hasn't asked me one single thing about Harry or Allison." Ron was in too deep to concede the point. Instead he changed his tactic.

"Then he's hoping you'll help him find out what his egg means! I suppose you've been putting your heads together during those cozy little library sessions -" I hadn't thought it was possible, but Hermione looked more crushed than before.

"I'd never help him work out that egg!" said Hermione, looking outraged. "Never. How could you say something like that! I want Alice to win the tournament. She knows that, don't you, Alice?" I opened my mouth about to beg them to leave me out of it.

"You've got a funny way of showing it," Ron Sneered.

"This whole tournament's supposed to be about getting to know foreign wizards and making friends with them!" Hermione peeped as she reached the verge of tears.

"No it isn't!" Ron shouted now standing. "It's about winning!" The couples dancing closest to us had begun to stare. Among those couples were Harry, Luna, Fred and Emily. The last thing Hogwarts needed was another reason for the other schools to look down on us. I stepped in shielding the two from the crowd.

"Ron, it's alright that Hermione came with Krum…" But Ron was beyond reasoning with.

"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," He spat down to Hermione.

"Don't call him Vicky!" She said jumping to her feet. She stared at him for several seconds looking like she had no greater desire than to slap him across the face. Demonstrating great self-control, she instead stormed off across the dance floor and disappeared into the crowd.

"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" An unwanted deep voice asked. Krum had just arrived at our table with two large goblets of punch.

"No idea," said Ron told him bitterly. "Lost her, have you?" Krum looked crushed. I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Vell, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks," He slumped off. I raced after him, my shoes clanging along the way.

"Hey Krum!" I called after him causing him to turn back. "Hermione was headed that way, I think she was headed back to the Champion's table." Krum nodded but didn't say anything as he headed off into the direction I pointed.

"Made friends with Viktor Krum, have you?" Ron accused. I was about to tell him to back off when I realized Percy had joined him at the table.

"Excellent! That's the whole point, you know - international magical cooperation!" He chirped excitedly. I ignored him, and instead studied the guests in the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore was now dancing to an upbeat number with Professor Sprout. Ludo Bagman had somehow persuaded Professor McGonagall to join him in a dance. Madame Maxime and Hagrid were waltzing through the dance floor paying no attention to the students who crossed their path. When the song ended Bagman kissed McGonagall's hand before making his way over to the table where Harry and I sat. Though it was clear that Bagman had come over to speak with Harry and I, Percy had taken it as a personal invitation to strike up a conversation with him.

"How do you feel the tournament's going, Mr. Bagman? Our department's quite satisfied. The hitch with the Goblet of Fire," He paused to glare at me. "Was a little unfortunate, of course, but it seems to have gone very smoothly since, don't you think?"

"Oh yes," Bagman responded cheerfully. "It's all been enormous fun. How's old Barty doing? Shame he couldn't come."

"Oh I'm sure Mr. Crouch will be up and about in no time." Percy informed him matter-of-factly. "But in the meantime I'm more than willing to take up the slack. Of course, it's not all attending Balls," he laughed, "oh no, I've had to deal with all sorts of things that have cropped up in his absence. You heard Ali Bashir was caught smuggling a consignment of flying carpets into the country? And then we've been trying to persuade the Transylvanians to sign the International Ban on Dueling. I've got a meeting with their Head of Magical Cooperation in the new year -"

"Let's go for a walk," Ron muttered to Harry, "Get away from Percy. ..."

"Great idea Ron I'll go with you and Harry to get some drinks." I exclaimed jumping to my feet.

"I think I'm going to say hi to George and Angelina alright Alice?" Fred said as he excused himself from Percy's presence. Emily mumbled something about looking for Hermione and we all left, successfully escaping Percy Weasley. Ron, Harry and I edged our way around the dance floor before slipping out into the Entrance Hall. The front doors of Hogwarts stood open and I could just make out the flickering of the fairy lights that filled the rose garden. Harry led the way down the front steps of the castle. We soon found ourselves immersed in a winding labyrinth of rose bushes. Off in the distance there were the sounds of splashing water which I assumed was a fountain. We wondered aimlessly through the rose bush maze until I heard a familiar sneer.

"I don't see what there is to fuss about, Igor."

"We should leave." I told the boys as I tugged on their wrists.

"Hang on Alice." Harry said pulling his arm from my grasp. I had no choice but to crouch low in the bushes as Ron pulled me down with them.

"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Harry listened with his ear pressed close to the bushes that were shielding us from view. Karkaroffs voice sounded anxious. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it."

"Then flee," Severus responded shortly. "Flee - I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts." Their two sets of footsteps began walking. As Severus and Karkaroff moved away from our hidden location in the bushes, we stood brushing each other off so as not to raise suspension in case we did encounter the professors. Severus and Kararoff did come around the corner both brandishing their wands at unsuspecting bushes. They were apparently patrolling the bushes for couples with wanted to take their dancing to the next level. Cries erupted from many of the bushes as students rushed out from under them.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Severus snarled fifty feet away. "And ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" He called after a pair of fifth years. "And what are you three doing?" He asked looking down his long hooked nose at Harry, Ron, and I. Ron, still sore from his fight with Hermione snapped at Severus quickly.

"We're walking, not against the law, is it?"

"Keep walking, then!" Severus snarled. He brushed past us nearly nocking Ron to the ground. Severus' black billowing cloak flapped behind him as he marched along. Wanting to put distance between us and the two of them, we continued walking down the path.

"What's got Karkaroff all worried?" Ron asked us.

"And since when have he and Snape been on first-name terms?" Harry interjected. I was just glad that neither of them had been smart enough to figure out what had really been going on in that exchange between Karkaroff and Sev. I made a mental note to stand clear of Karkaroff who had obviously not given up on his Death Eater lifestyle. The fountain I heard earlier was finally visible. Seated at the base of the fountain was the shadowy outline of two enormous people. It was my turn to pull Harry and Ron into the bushes as Hagrid's voice drifted over to us.

"Momen' I saw yeh, I knew," he was saying, in an oddly husky voice.

"Stay quit!" I whispered. "The last thing Hagrid needs to know is that we're here listening to him." Ron and Harry nodded in agreement, knowing that We were trapped between Severus, karkaroff and Madame Maxime and Hagrid.

"I jus' knew . . . knew you were like me. . . . Was it yer mother or yer father?"

"I - I don't know what you mean, 'Agrid. ..." Maxime answered genuinely confused.

"It was my mother," Hagrid told her. "She was one o' the las' ones in Britain. 'Course, I can' remember her too well. . . she left, see. When I was abou' three. She wasn' really the maternal sort. Well. . . it's not in their natures, is it? Dunno what happened to her . . . might be dead fer all I know. ..."Madame Maxime didn't say anything and obviously Hagrid had no concept of what an awkward silence is. "Me dad was broken-hearted when she wen'. Tiny little bloke, my dad was. By the time I was six I could lift him up an' put him on top o' the dresser if he annoyed me. Used ter make him laugh. . . ." Hagrid's deep voice broke. Madame Maxime was listening, motionless, apparently staring at the silvery fountain. "Dad

raised me . . . but he died, o' course, jus' after I started school. Sorta had ter make me own way after was a real help, mind. Very kind ter me, he was. . . ." Hagrid pulled out a large spotted silk handkerchief and blew his nose heavily."So ... anyway . . . enough abou' me. What about you? Which side you got it on?" But Madame Maxime had suddenly got to her feet, apparently disinterested in Hagrid's emotional story.

"It is chilly. I think I will go in now." Not as chilly as your attitude lady. I thought feeling truly sorry for Hagrid. But again he had no concept of awkward.

"Eh? No, don't go! I've - I've never met another one before!"

"Anuzzer what, precisely?" Maxime's voice asked icily.

"Another half-giant, o' course!" Hagrid answered.

"'Ow dare you!" shrieked Madame Maxime. Her voice exploded through the peaceful night air like a foghorn. "I 'ave nevair been more insulted in my life! 'Alf-giant? Moi? I 'ave - I 'ave big bones!" She stormed away angrily pushing aside bushes. Hagrid was still sitting on the fountain, staring after her. He sat there for several seconds before standing up and striding away in the direction of his cabin.

"Come on the coast is clear, let's head back into the Hall." Once we were back inside the Great Hall I said good-night to the boys and searched for Fred. He and George were huddled in a corner their two skulls crammed together. Whatever they were talking about came to an abrupt halt when they heard me approach.

"Sorry boys didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"No worries Alice, we thought you were a professor. Well guess I best be getting back to Angelia." George told me before walking off.

"Would you mind dancing with me some more?" I asked Fred.

"Well after you tried to ditch me with Percy, I thought that was your way of saying our date was over." He smirked.

"Well Percy's your brother; I figured it would be easier for you to think of a way to slip away from him. But if you want our date to be over…"

"Didn't say that now did I? Come on let's dance." Fred and I danced the rest of the night, until the very last song slowly faded out. The Great Hall began to empty out just as fast as it had filled. Many people were expressing their wish that the ball could have gone on longer, and waving good-night to their favorite champions.

"Well guess it's time to say goodnight." I said to Fred.

"Suppose so." He answered taking my hand in his. He used his other hand to tilt my chin up towards his face. Before I had time to react, Fred Weasley had bent down and kissed me. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck as I enjoyed my first kissed.

"Mister Weasley, Miss Potter, The ball is over. Please return to your common rooms immediately, as it is past curfew." We broke apart to see Severus scowling down at us. Leave it to Severus Snape to ruin my first kiss.

"Let's go Fred." I said pulling him away from Sev.

"Ten points shall be taken from both of your houses, for your inappropriate display of affection." Severus growled before I could stomp off.

"Don't let him get to you Ali, that kiss what worth ten house points." My anger towards Severus had diminished a bit as I turned to Fred.

"Ali?" I asked.

"Well It's short for Allison…Kind of like Alice…If you don't like it…"

"No it's cute." I assured him. "Come on let's get out of here before Snape gives us detention for being out past curfew. Out in the Entrance Hall Hermione and Krum could be seen saying goodnight by the doors. Ron was standing by the stairs to the dungeon with Emily, and Harry was waiting for his two friends in the middle of the Grand Staircase.

"Hey Alice! Allison!" I dropped my hand from Fred's to see who had called my name. It was Cedric Diggory. I could see Cho waiting for him by the Entrance Hall doors as he approached me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Mind if I talk to you privately for a second?"

"Uh, sure. Give me a sec ok Fred?" Fred nodded not knowing that was going on, but trusting me.

"Listen ..." Cedric lowered his voice so that the staggering students in the hall couldn't hear us. "I owe you one for telling me about the dragons. You know that golden egg? Does yours wail when you open it?"

"Yeah the world's most awful sound." I nodded.

"Well... take a bath, okay?"

"Excuse me?" I asked a little insulted, did I smell that bad from dancing all night?

"Take a bath, and - er - take the egg with you, and - er - just mull things over in the hot water. It'll help you think. . . . Trust me." I stared at him still incredibly confused.

"Tell you what," he said in a final attempt to give me a hint. "Use the prefects' bathroom, pourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor, password's 'pine fresh.' Gotta go. I want to say good night to Cho." He turned away and started walking towards Cho.

"Hey Cedric!" I said causing him to look over his shoulder. Thank You I mouthed. He nodded with understanding as he made his way back to Cho.

"What did he want?" Fred asked.

"He was giving me a hint about the next challenge. I'll let you know once I've got it figured out."

"Well until then, how about we risk another ten points for our houses?" He leaned in for a second good-bye kiss before heading off in the direction of the Gryffindor tower.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 Half-Giant**

One week after the Yule Ball classes had resumed and Emily, Hermione Ron, Harry and I were making our way over to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures. Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick you couldn't see in or out of them.

"Every summer I think, _Alice maybe last year you exaggerated how cold it gets at Hogwarts in the winter._ Then winter comes and I can't help but think it's three times colder than last year."

"I know the feeling." Harry agreed the chattered teeth.

"Maybe Hagrid will bring back the dragons? At least they can spit warm fire." Emily suggested hopefully. We were all taken by surprise when it wasn't Hagrid standing in front of his hut.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," An elderly witch barked at us as we raced through knee deep snow.

"Who're you? Where's Hagrid?" Ron questioned.

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she replied briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated.

"He is indisposed," Professor Grubbly-Plank answered shortly.

"One of these days," I whispered to Ron, "We'll get a Professor who's actually _nice _to their students."

"This way, please," Professor Grubbly-Plank, strode off making it clear she was finished with the conversation.

"Keep up you three!" Emily called over her shoulder as she and Hermione trotted along.

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry bellowed, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Never you mind," she told him off for his nosiness.

"I do mind, though," Harry replied, his short temper getting the best of him. "What's up with him?" Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him. She led us past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were, and headed toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. I couldn't help but "ooh" and "Ah" along with the rest of the class at our first sight of a real unicorn. The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.

"Boys keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank barked, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it. ..." She waved us girls forward, and we eagerly complied. I was following along with Professor Grubbly-Plank before I felt someone poke me in the back with a stick.

"Have you read this?" He asked handing me an article from The Daily Prophet. The article was headed by a photo of Hagrid, the titled read "DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE"

_Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures. Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being 'very frightening' "I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."_

I stopped reading to scowl angrily at Draco from across the enclosure.

"Keep reading!" Ron urged me.

_Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manti-cores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions. "I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject. As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not - as he has always pretended - a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror. While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Frid-wulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power - thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend - but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants._

"How did Rita Skeeta find out? We only learned last night…" Ron whispered. I had over looked that point and was still focused on Draco.

"What do you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" I spat, marching up to him in the snow. "What's this rubbish about him" I pointed at Crabbe. "Getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!" Crabbe was sniggering, apparently very pleased with himself.

"Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf's teaching career," said Malfoy, his eyes glistening. "Half-giant. . . and there was me thinking he'd just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Gro when he was young. ... None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all. ... They'll be worried he'll eat their kids!"

"You evil little troll!"

"Are you paying attention over there?" Profressor Grubbly-Plank called from the side of the Unicorn. Draco and I set aside our rivalry as we were forced to turn our attention back to the lesson. I stepped over with the rest of the girls who were now stroking the unicorn. We finished out the lesson neither Harry nor I paying much attention.

"That was a really good lesson," Hermione commented as she met up with us. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni -"

"Look at this!" Harry snarled, and he shoved the Daily Prophet article under Hermione's 's mouth fell open as she read.

"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?"

"No," Harry answered . "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back."

"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball," Hermione suggested.

"We'd have seen her in the garden!" Ron disagreed. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her. . . ."

"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak," I thought out loud. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people."

"Like you and the boys did, you mean?" said Hermione.

"We weren't trying to hear him!" Ron defended. "We didn't have any choice!"

"We've got to go and see him," Harry interjected. "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back." That's how Ron, Harry, Hermione and I found ourselves frozen and huddled under a pair of invisibility cloaks.

"Why didn't I think to charm my pants so they'd stay dry in the snow?" mumbled as we trudged through the knee deep blankets again.

"Oh Alice shhh! There's no point in complaining." Hermione scolded. There was a loud invisible bang to our left as Harry knocked on the door.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up!" But for the first time in four years, Hagrid didn't open the door for Harry. We could hear Fang scratching at the door, whining, but it didn't open. We collectively pounded on the door for ten minute before realizing that no matter how hard we pounded, Hagrid would not answer.

"What's he avoiding us for?" Hermione asked several weeks later when Hagrid had still not emerged from his hiding. "He surely doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?"

"Would he be hiding from us if he didn't?" Emily reasoned. We were on our way to Hogsmeade excited for a trip that would take our minds off the usual trouble. I flung my arms out dramatically.

"Wait, is that Krum swimming in the lake?"

"He's mad! It must be freezing, it's January!" Harry commented.

"It's a lot colder where he comes from, I suppose it feels quite warm to him." Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's still the giant squid," Ron added sounding almost hopeful. As if he was hoping Krum would be swallowed up by the Giant Squid that very second.

"He's really nice, you know," Hermione defended. "He's not at all like you'd think, coming from Durmstrang. He likes it much better here, he told me." Ron however didn't say anything. He hadn't mentioned Viktor Krum to any of us since the Ball.

"Come on let's try and catch the next coach!" Emily chirped as she took Ron's hand and pulled him away from the lake.

"You know," Harry began as we climbed in a carriage. "Maybe we'll be able to catch Hagrid at Three Broomsticks. He usually always volunteers to supervise the pub during trips."

"It's a long shot." Hermione told him.

"Yeah Hagrid doesn't even come to meals anymore Harry. I doubt he'll be at the Three Broomsticks in the middle of Hogsmead." Despite our doubts, Harry still dragged us to the Three Broomsticks as soon as our carriage pulled into Hogsmead. Humoring him we searched the pub for several minutes, and even asked Rosmerta if she had seen Hagrid. When she confirmed that she hadn't seen him in weeks we decided to take five butterbeers to a table near the door. That what where we found ourselves when twenty minutes later Rita Skeeter entered. She was wearing banana yellow robe, her long nails were painted a shocking shade of pink. She was accompanied by her portly photographer as they made their way to a nearby table. Even from a great distance away we could hear most of what she was saying.

"... didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo? Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in tow anyway? Showing them the sights . .. what nonsense ... he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman . . .' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo - we just need to find a story to fit it -"

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry called loudly from our table. Emily and I exchanged a worried look as we watched Rita Skeeter's eyes widen.

"Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join- ?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," He spat back. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"Rita Skeeter raised her heavily penciled eyebrows in response.

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"

"Who cares if he's half-giant? There's nothing wrong with him!" Harry counter attacked. The whole pub had gone very quiet. Rosmerta was staring over from behind the bar,apparently oblivious to the fact that the tankard she was filling with mead was overflowing. Rita Skeeter's smile faultered for a second before she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill.

"How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know. Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?" Hermione stood up very abruptly, her butterbeer clutched in her hand as if she had no greater desire than to toss it in Rita Skeeter's face.

"You horrible woman," she said through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagman -"

"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," said Rita Skeeter coldly, her eyes hardening as they fell on Hermione. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl... not that it needs it -" she added, eyeing Hermione's bushy hair.

"Let's just go Hermione. She's not worth it honestly. Hermione held her position for several very long seconds before slamming her glass on the table and walking out. I briefly thought of cursing Skeeter on my way to the door, but I know that would be more trouble than it was worth.

"She'll be after you next, Hermione," Ron told her in a worried voice as we walked quickly back up the street.

"Let her try!" Hermione snapped back angrily. "I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Alice, then Hagrid ..."

"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter, I'm serious, Hermione, she'll dig up something on you -" Ron warned.

"My parents don't read the Daily Prophet. She can't scare me into hiding! And Hagrid isn't hiding anymore! He should never have let that excuse for a human being upset him! Come on!" breaking into a run, Hermione led the way to carriages. We rode in silence back to Hogwarts none of us clear on Hermione's plan to get Hagrid out of hiding. The curtains were still drawn as she raced down to Hagrid's hut. Once she reached the front door, Hermione took to pounding on it and shouting.

"Hagrid! Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -" The door opened and the four of us were ready to cheer, until we realized it was Professor Dumbledore and not Hagrid who had answered the door.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly smiling.

"We-er-we wanted to see Hagrid," Ron interjected.

"Yes, I surmised as much, why don't you come in?" Dumbledore answered with a twinkle in his eye. We entered the cabin while he held the door open for us. Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He was a mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and his hair now looked like a wig of tangled wire.

"Hi, Hagrid," Harry said casually. This caused Hagrid to look up.

"Hello." he said in a very hoarse voice.

"More tea, I think," Dumbledore suggested. He pulled out his wand and summoned a tea tray and a plate of cakes. Once everything was settled on the table, Dumbledore turned back to Hagrid.

"Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?" When Hagrid didn't reply, he continued on. "Hermione, Harry, Alice, Emily and Ron still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door."

"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry chimed in. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow - sorry, Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore.

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said. Harry," said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.

"Er-right, I just meant-Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that-woman-wrote about you?" Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's eyes slowly falling into his tangled beard.

"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid. I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it -"

"Not all of 'em. Not all of 'em wan me ter stay." Hagrid pointed out.

"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," Dumbledore spoke, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"

"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" Hagrid croaked.

"Hagrid, look what Alice and I've got for relatives! Look at the Dursleys!" Harry added.

"An excellent point,"Dumbledore complimented. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery. . .."

"Come back and teach, Hagrid," Emily asked quietly. "Please come back, we really miss you."Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard. At this point Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday. You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all." Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his large hands. "Great man, Dumbledore . . . great man . .." He whispered through his sobs.

"Ar, he's righ', o' course - yeh're all righ' . . .I bin stupid . .. my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'..." More tears leaked out, but he wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here..." Hagrid got up, went over to his dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a picture of a short wizard with Hagrid's crinkled black eyes, beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid was a good seven or eight feet tall, judging by the apple tree beside him, but his face was beardless, young, round, and smooth - he looked hardly older than eleven. "Tha was taken jus' after I got inter Hogwarts. Dad was dead chuffed ... thought I migh' not be a wizard, see, 'cos me mum ... well, anyway. 'Course, I never was great shakes at magic, really... but at least he never saw me expelled. Died, see, in me second year. . . .Dumbledore was the one who stuck up for me after Dad went. Got me the gamekeeper job . trusts people, he does. Gives 'em second chances ... tha's what sets him apar' from other heads, see. He'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent. Knows people can turn out okay even if their families weren' ... well... all tha' respectable. But some don understand that. There's some who'd always hold it against yeh . . . there's some who'd even pretend they just had big bones rather than stand up an' say - I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.' An' he was right. I've bin an idiot. I'm not botherin' with her no more, I promise yeh that. Big bones . . . I'll give her big bones."Yeh know wha, Harry?" he said, looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone, an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it... an' now look at yeh, Harry! You're the best quidditch player in centuries! And Alice, you're a Hogwarts Champion!" He started between Harry and I very seriously for a second.

"Yeh know what I'd ? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all... yeh don' have ter be pureblood ter do it. Yeh don have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg?"

"Great," I answered, nodding positively. "Really great, almost solved it." Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile.

"You show 'em, Alice, you show 'em. Beat 'em all." Lying to Hagrid wasn't quite like lying to anyone else. He was gentle and sweet, even if it made him a bit naïve. We left Hagrid's several hours later, but only after he promised to go back to teaching classes on Monday.

"I've got to get started on that egg." I told Hermione, Emily, Ron and Harry as we made our way up to the castle.

"You haven't even started it yet?" Hermione glared at me.

"Hey I've been busy! Kind of…" I told her as she looked on with disapproval.

"I'm sure Alice can figure it out in no time!" Ron said waving it off.

"Well I sort of know where to start." I dropped my voiced down low so that the students passing us in the Entrance Hall wouldn't hear. "Cedric gave me a hint at the Yule Ball. I'm going to look into it." I answered confidently.

"You better start now, because you've told Hagrid that you have it almost solved. He knows how smart you are, and he'll be expecting you to be prepared." I was surprised this time to receive the scolding from Harry. We usually stayed out of each other's business, so his scolding only made me feel guiltier for lying to Hagrid.

"Relax you guys, I'll take care if it alright?" I stormed off to my dorm in search of the ridiculous golden egg.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 Clues**

I decided the best time for me to use the prefect's bathroom, would be late at night when most students were asleep. The problem with my plan was that I would have to be out of bed past curfew, a fate that didn't easily scare away a Potter. I gladly took to the challenge with the Heavy golden egg in tow. Covered in my invisibility cloak I made my way to the fifth floor using the Marauder's Map which Harry had agreed to let me borrow. I located the fourth door from the left of the Statue of Boris the Bewildered, and used the password Cedric had given me. Technically the Prefect's bathroom was considered "out-of-bounds" to any student who was not a prefect. So being caught out of bed in a place like that was certain to get in trouble if I wasn't careful.

The door to the bathroom creaked open; I slipped inside easily and bolted the door behind me. The bathroom was softly lit by a candle-filled chandelier and everything was made of white marble. In the middle of the floor I found a rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor. About a hundred golden taps stood all around the pools edges, each with a differently colored Jewel set into its handle. There was also a diving board. Long white linen curtains hung at the windows; a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a single golden-framed painting on the wall. It was a blonde mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face. I would have loved nothing more than to walk around the pool and turn the nobs on each one of the taps to find out exactly what they contained, but I decided it would be best to get started on the egg for now.

I placed the map, the egg, and my invisibility cloak on the side of the gigantic bath._ Hmmm now how to fill it._ I thought to myself as I glanced around. I found a silver tap near my feet easily enough. I turned it on, and the water began to fill the bath surprisingly quick. It looked as if it would take a awhile so I started filling with the nearby golden taps. It soon became clear to me that the different golden taps carried varying types of bubble bath. One tap gushed pink and blue bubbles the size of quaffle balls; another poured ice-white foam so thick they looked as if they could support my weight, a third sent heavily perfumed purple clouds hovering over the surface of the water. It surprised me how quickly it too for the deep pool to fill with water, foam and bubbles. I undressed and slipped into the warm water. Once in the water I took to staring at the golden egg, unsure of what a bath was supposed to do for me. After several minutes I still had no stroke of genius. I began swimming laps around the pool. When that still failed to inspire me, I opened up the heavy golden eggs again. The wailing, screeching sound filled the bathroom, echoing and reverberating off the marble walls, but it sounded just as incomprehensible as ever. I snapped the egg shut, ridding the bathroom of the horrible sound.

"I'd try putting it in the water, if I were you." A voice spoke from behind me.

"AHhh!" I screeched tossing the egg across the room. I launched myself under the bubbles looking around for the voice's source. Sitting cross-legged on top of one of the taps was Moaning Myrtle.

"Hello Myrtle." I said relieved that it was at least a female ghost.

"You haven't been to see me for ages." She whined.

"I'm sorry Myrtle, I've just been very busy, and I don't have many classes on your floor this year."

"Oh ... I see ..." Myrtle said placing her chin in her hands. "Well... anyway... I'd try the egg in the water. That's what Cedric Diggory did."

"Do you, sneak up here in the evenings to watch the prefects take baths?" I asked her.

"Sometimes, but I've never come out to speak to anyone before."

"I'm honored." I responded sarcastically.

"Try opening it underwater." Myrtle repeated tossing the egg in my direction. Surprised by my own dexterity, I caught the egg without difficulty. Below the surface of the water I could clearly make out the words being spoken, no sung, from the egg.

_Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour- the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_

When the song finished I bobbed up to the surface, hoisting the egg up with me.

"Hear it?" Myrtle asked curiously.

"Yeah, hang on." I quickly wrapped my hair and body in towels so that I didn't drip too much. Finding the jeans I hand been wearing, I pulled out a piece of parchment and the quill I had brought with me. Placing them next to the Marauder's Map, I tossed the towels aside and jumped back into the pool. After several dips and bobs, I was able to write down the song in it's entirely. I read it back to Myrtle out loud.

"So I've got to see something that lives underwater something that can sing. I wonder…" I sat in the warm water, silently listing off creatures I knew lived underwater.

"Well, that's what Diggory thought." Myrtle replied. "He laid there talking to himself for ages about it. Ages and ages . . . nearly all the bubbles had gone. ..."

"Myrtle, what lives in the lake, other than the giant squid?" I asked.

"Oh all sorts," she answered. "I sometimes go down there. Sometimes I don't have any choice, if someone flushes my toilet when I'm not expecting it..."

"Myrtle, are there, Mermaids? In the lake I mean. Do they have merpeople in the lake?" I asked my eyes falling on the mermaid painting.

"Oooh, very good," She commended me. "it took Diggory much longer than that! And that was with her awake too." Myrtle nodded her head towards the paining with an expression of great dislike. "Giggling and showing off and flashing her fins…"

"That's it then? The second task is finding the merpeople in the lake. But how and I suppose to breathe?" But at this Myrtle's eyes filled with tears.

"How dare you!" she gasped.

"Sorry what?" I looked up surprised.

"Talking about breathing in front of me!" she said shrilly, and her voice echoed loudly around the bathroom. "When I can't. . . when I haven't. . . not for ages ..." She buried her face in her handkerchief and sniffed loudly. There were hundreds of ghosts at Hogwarts, but none of them seemed to resent being dead quite as much as Myrtle did.

"I'm sorry. I just forgot…"

"Oh yes, very easy to forget Myrtle's dead," She wept. "Nobody missed me even when I was alive. Took them hours and hours to find my body - I know, I was sitting there waiting for them. Olive Hornby came into the bathroom - Are you in here again, sulking, Myrtle?' she said, 'because Professor Dippet asked me to look for you -' And then she saw my body . . . ooooh, she didn't forget it until her dying day, I made sure of that... followed her around and reminded her, I did. I remember at her brother's wedding-" But I had given up on listening to her rants half way through my first year. I dried myself while she talked. Once I was dressed I stored away my parchment and quill, and scooped up the Maurader's Map and the golden egg.

"Myrtle! Myrtle! I'm sorry I've got to go now, but I'll come visit you in your bathroom soon alright?"

"Yes, alright. Bye-bye." She said gloomily as I pulled the invisibility cloak over my face. I checked the Marurader's Map to make sure I could make a clean getaway to the Slytherin common room. Everything checked out except for one single dot moving in Severus' office. The strange thing, was that the dot wasn't Severus, it instead belong to Batemius Crouch. Mr. Crouch was supposed to be too ill to go to work or to come to the Yule Ball, so what was he doing at Hogwarts at one o'clock in the morning? My better judgment failing me, as it usually did, I headed down toward Severus' office. Distracted by the map, I forgot about the trick step that I had watch Neville trigger several times over the years. The golden egg was too heavy to balance in one hand, so I had no chance to use my hands to get my foot loose from the step. I pulled at my left foot trying to free it. My center of gravity compromised because of the heavy egg, I lost my balance and fell backwards. I instinctively I threw my arms back to catch myself. The egg took this as the perfect opportunity to not only fall from my grasp, but also to bang and clang its way down the entire flight of stairs. The backwards fall caused me to twist my ankle, my foot still buried deep in the step, my body twisted the opposite way. I was in pain, but the sounds of the egg falling down the steps were sure to attract some attention. I threw the invisibility cloak over myself praying I had covered everything. I reached out for the Mauarader's Map to see if there was anyone in the area. It was only then that I realized that the map had fluttered down six steps from me and there was no way I'd be able to reach it. I thought briefly that maybe no one had heard the egg fall, that was until the egg made contact with a wall one floor below. The golden egg had opened and was once again making its loud wailing screams.

Immediately, I heard soft footsteps come from down the hall. "PEEVES!" It was the unmistakable voice of Filch. "What's this racket? Wake up the whole castle, will you? I'll have you, Peeves, I'll have you, you'll... and what is this?" Filch's footsteps halted, there was a clink of metal on metal and the wailing stopped. Filch had picked up the egg and closed it. I had no choice but to wait. But he paused at the very base of the stairs. "Egg? This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school champion!" My heart began to race; I'd be discovered there for sure. All Filch had to do was pick up the map and he'd see my name printed right across the step. "PEEVES!" Filch roared gleefully. "You've been stealing! Hiding, are you? I'm coming to get you, Peeves. . . . You've gone and stolen a Triwizard clue, Peeves... . Dumbledore'll have you out of here for this, you filthy, pilfering poltergeist. ..." Filtch started to climb the stairs, his dust-colored cat at his heels. My heart was pounding fast with each step Filtch took.

"Filch? Whats going on?" I breathed a sigh of relieve at the sound of Severus' deep voice.

"It's Peeves, Professor. He threw this egg down the stairs." Severus climbed up the stairs quickly to stand beside Filtch.

"Peeves?" he repeated taking the egg from Filtch."But Peeves couldn't get into my office…"

"This egg was in your office. Professor?" Filtch asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," Severus snapped. "I heard banging and wailing -"

"Yes, Professor, that was the egg -"

"- I was coming to investigate -"

"- Peeves threw it. Professor -"

"- and when I passed my office, I saw that the torches were lit and a cupboard door was ajar! Somebody has been searching it!"

"But Peeves couldn't -"

"I know he couldn't, Filch! I seal my office with a spell none but a wizard could break! I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch."

"I - yes, Professor - but -" Filtch looked up at the stairs yearningly.

"The thing is, Professor, the headmaster will have to listen to me this time. Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all -"

"Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist; it's my office that's -" But the two were interrupted by the step-clump that followed Professor Moody everywhere.

"Pajama party, is it?" he growled up the stairs."Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor," said Filch at once. "Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual - and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off -"

"Shut up!" Severus hissed at once. Moody took a few more step-clumps to the foot of the stairs. From there his magical eye swiveled around wildly at first, then between Severus and Filtch, before finally focusing on me under my invisibility cloak. It was only then that I realized that Professor Moody could see through invisibility cloaks.

"Did I hear that correctly, Snape? Someone broke into your office?" My heart began to race again. Moody would rat me out for sure.

"It is unimportant," Snape answered coldly.

"On the contrary, it is very important. Who'd want to break into your office?" Moody growled.

"Perhaps a student with a grudge. I'm sure it has not escaped your notice Alastor, but I am not exactly the most _popular_ professor at Hogwarts."

"Reckon they were after potion ingredients, eh? Not hiding anything else in your office, are you?"

"You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody." Severus answered almost threateningly. "As you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself." Moody's face twisted into a smile.

"Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me to keep an eye -"

"Dumbledore happens to trust me," Severus barked through clenched teeth. "I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office."

"Course Dumbledore trusts you," Moody growled. "He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?" Sev didn't say anything. Instead he clenched his left forearm, which I knew was where his dark mark tattoo was. Severus' expression flickered as if he was in pain. He'd never let anyone else seem him that way though, and his face quickly rearranged itself to hide his discomfort.

Moody laughed. "Get back to bed, Snape."

"You don't have the authority to send me anywhere!" Severus hissed dropping his arms to his side. "I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!" Under any other circumstances I would have laughed. If anyone of the Hogwarts staff "prowled" the hallway after dark, it would be Severus, Moody, and Filtch.

"Prowl away, I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor some time... You've dropped something, by the way. ..." My eyes grew wide when Moody pointed at the Maurader's Map. Severus and Filtch both looked down to see what he was pointing at. Severus reached down for it, know exactly what it was. But Moody got there first.

"My mistake." Moody said as he watched Severus's reaction. "It's mine, must've dropped it earlier." But Severus knew. He looked from the egg in Filtch's hands to map in Moody's, and cast a dark angry look up the steps. Of course he couldn't see exactly where I was, but he knew I'd never leave Harry's map out in the open like that.

"Allison." he whispered.

"What's that?" Moody asked folding the map up and putting it in his pocket.

"Potter!" Severus snarled turning away from the stairs. "That egg is Alice Potter's egg. That piece of parchment belongs to brother. I have seen it before, I recognize it! Miss Potter is here in her Invisibility Cloak!" Severus began marching up the steps, probably hoping he would step on me.

"There's nothing there, Snape! But I'll be happy to tell the headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to Alice Potter!"

"Meaning what?" Severus asked turning to face Moody.

"Meaning that Dumbledore's very interested to know who's got it in for that girl! And so am I, Snape . . . very interested..." Of course Severus had no reason to worry. Never in a million years would Dumbledore believe that Severus was the one who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, but of course Moody had no way of knowing that.

"I merely thought," Severus answered now speaking directly to me, but looking at Moody. "That _if_ Miss Potter was wandering around after hours again, it's an unfortunate habit of hers, she should be stopped. For her own safety of course."

"Ah, I see. Got Potter's best interests at heart, have you?" Moody asked softly. There was a long pause as Severus and Moody stared at each other face to face.

"I think I will go back to bed," Severus finally said coldly. He turned on his heels and stalked off.

"Best idea you've had all night," Moody called after him. "Now, Filch, if you'll just give me that egg-"

"No!" Filtch barked, clutching the egg as though it were his firstborn son. "Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"

"It's the property of the champion he stole it from. Hand it over, now." Filtch looked longingly at the egg again before handing it to Moody and stalking off.

"Close shave. Potter," Moody muttered to me as I pulled my invisibilty cloak off. There was no point in keeping it on.

"Yeah…Thanks." I said finally able to twist my ankle free of the step.

"What is this thing?" Moody asked pulling the map from his pocket.

"Map of Hogwars." I answered, hoping he'd leave it at that.

"Merlin's beard, this is some map Miss Potter."

"Yeah it's pretty useful; it's actually my brother Harry's."

"Potter, did you happen to see who broke into Snape's office? On this map I mean?"

"Potter ..." he said slowly, "you didn't happen, by any chance, to see who broke into Snapes office, did you? On this map, I mean?"

"No." I lied, rather convincingly.

"Do you think your brother would mind if I borrowed this?" I knew the true answered to that question. Harry _would_ mind if Professor Moody borrowed his map. Harry relied on that map for so much, he'd never forgive me for losing his map.

"Well like I said really it's Harry's so…I suppose you'll have to ask him." I made to reach for the map but Moody pulled it out of my reach.

"Yes well I'll hold on to it until I have the chance to ask him. If it's all the same to you." It wasn't all the same to me but it didn't look like I had much of a choice in the matter either.

"Sure." I responded trying not to sound bitter. "Right well I guess I should head off to bed." I told him walking off.

"Miss Potter." I turned back to face him again. "You almost forgot this." He said tossing the egg in my direction. I caught it avoiding a shining golden egg to the face.

"Goodnight Professor." I said as I walked the rest of the way down the stairs.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 The Second Task**

As much as I wanted to talk to Severus about everything that had just happened, I knew Moody would be watching me on the map. Though he seemed inclined to help me the last thing I needed was for him to see me and Sev chatting it up in his office. So I did the next best thing I could think of. Once I was safely back in my room I went to my trunk and dug out a particular old looking piece of parchment. Climbing into bed I lit the tip of my wand and began to write.

_Sev are you still awake?_ I asked knowing he was.

_**Yes. My office now.**_

_Can't. Moody has the map. He'll be watching. This is the best way to talk. _

_**I see. What would you like to talk about?**_

_I know who's was in your office. It was Crouch. That's what Harry's map said. The Map's never wrong. _

_**I have my own suspicions about who was in my office. But you are wise to be cautious of Professor Moody. **_

_So should I assume you're not going to tell me anymore on the matter._

_**Goodnight Allison. **_

_Ok I won't ask anymore. Night Sev. _

Monday morning was the first chance I had to talk to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Emily. We were in charms class working at a table by ourselves. On that day we were practicing the banishing charm.

"So that's when he took the map." I told Harry expecting him to be angry with me for losing it.

"Well at least it's not in Snape's clutches." Harry said. "Don't worry Alice, I'm sure Professor Moody will give it back when he's done. He probably just wants it to keep tabs on Snape."

"Well if you're sure it's in good hands…" I said letting my voice trail off. "Not to change the subject but does anybody have any ideas about surviving underwater for about an hour?"

"Of course, the ideal solution would be for you to Transfigure yourself into a submarine or something," Hermione said. "If only we'd done human Transfiguration already! But I don't think we start that until sixth year, and it can go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing..."

"Yeah I'd rather not be maimed for the rest of my life. A botched transfiguration is probably worse than getting splinched." Shaking my head I asked if they had any other suggestions. I asked Fred and George next if they had any ideas, they said short of trying to invent something they were out of ideas. When a week past and none of us had come up with anything, I decided it was time to try things the old fashion way. I dedicated all of my free time to studying in the library. Sometimes Hermione or Emily would join me and almost every day Fred would sit with me. He would sketch out ideas for new projects with George or even pick up the occasional book to help me. It was nice having Fred around. He always kept things light and helped me laugh when I began to get stressed out. The night before the second task I still had not found the answer to my problem. I sat in the back corner of the library surrounded by walls and towers of books. I had begun to consider giving up the search. I buried my face in a stack of books, Which is probably why I didn't notice Neville sitting beside me until he spoke.

"Hello Alice."

"Ah! Uh I mean hey Neville. Sorry didn't see you there! I was just lost pondering my ultimate failure as a witch." I told him.

"Are you working on something for a class?"

"No, stuff for the Tournament." I answered shaking my head. "I wish I had figured out the clue earlier, then maybe I would have half a chance at this!" I dramatically gestured around to the small castle of books I had built around myself.

"What are you trying to find out?" Neville asked curiously picking up a book from the nearest stack.

"I'm trying to find a way to breath underwater. I've been at it for weeks. Hermione and Fred were helping me earlier, but George said Professor McGonagall needed them for something. I just don't know what to do, the task is tomorrow!"

"Slow down Alice." Neville said pulling a book out of his backpack. "Lucky for you, I've been reading ahead in our Herbology book." He flipped open his Herbology text book to a page titled "Gillyweed". Neville handed the book over to me so that I could read the description.

"_Gillyweed is a magical plant native to the Mediterranean Sea. When it is eaten by a witch or wizard, one grows gills and webbing between the fingers and toes, allowing them to process oxygen from water and navigate underwater more easily. There is some debate among herbologists as to the duration of the effects of Gillyweed in fresh water versus salt water, but the effects of Gillyweed in fresh water seem to last about an hour."_

"Neville this is perfect!" I jumped up still holding the book.

"Too bad there's no way for you to get any before tomorrow." Neville answered looking grim.

"Well I could always ask Professor Snape or Professor Sprout. I'm sure at least one of them is still up at this hour. Oh thank you Neville! This is so perfect, oh I could kiss you!" I slammed the book shut and handed it back to him. "But I wont of course because that would be awkward. But how about a hug?" I asked holding my arms out to him. He hugged me back smiling.

"Don't mention it Alice really. I just hope you win tomorrow."

"We'll see I guess! But I've got to go Neville, I will see you tomorrow after the task!" I handed Neville back his book and raced off. Going off the Severus' office was not an option. If Moody was watching the map he would surly notice me heading down there. Back in my room I found the parchment I had used the other night.

_I need a favor._ I scribbled quickly.

_**Figured out the second clue have we?**_

_Is there any way I can have some Gillyweed?_

_**How do you expect me to get it to you by tomorrow morning?**_

_Owl? At Breakfast tomorrow, the morning post. _I suggested.

_**A wise suggestion. **_Though he said nothing more on the subject, I knew that the next morning there would be an owl with my name on it. After breakfast I tucked the Gillyweed away in my pocket, and raced down to the lake. There was already a large crowd gathering by the edge of the lake. I made my way over to the side of the lake where the judges table was. Once all four champions had arrived Ludo Bagman lined each of us up and spaced us ten feet apart. Bagman instructed us to strip down to our swim suits while he addressed the crowd.

"While all our champions ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle, they have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then." He said noting that we were already to compete. One . . . two . . . three!" The first thing I did when the whistle blew was cast a warming charm over myself. It was mid-February and the was bound to still be freezing. I then tucked my wand inside my swimsuit and started chomping on the gillyweed. I waded into the water chewing the slimy rubbery gillyweed. At first nothing happened. To the audience it must have looked as if my charmed had failed. Suddenly I felt as if I was suffocating. I tried desperately to breath but it only made me feel dizzy. To make matters worse there was now a piercing pain on either side of my neck. I rubbed a hand down the side of my neck where the pain was. It was then that I felt two large slits just below my ears. Gills, I had grown gills. The Gillyweed had begun to work and I had no choice but to dive in the water. Though my body was warm, the water I was breathing felt icy. Once underwater I gulped in several breaths of liquid. While I breathed in the water I stared at my hands. They had turned a seaweed green, and I had grown webbing between each finger.

It was a peaceful kind of quite under the water. I would have been content to stay floating there under the surface all day. However I had a Triwizard Tournament Task to complete. The depth of the lake made it difficult to see more than ten feet in any direction. The lake was large and I had my doubts that I would be able to find whatever it was that the Merpeople had taken from me. As I swam around I didn't see and sign of the other champions or the merepeople.

"How are you getting on?" I tried to scream, but it turns out that one of the effects of Gillyweed is the inability to speak.

"You want to try over there!" she said pointing. "I won't come with you. I don't like them much, they always chase me when I get too close. ..." I nodded to show her that I understood what she was saying. I swam off in the direction Myrtle pointed. After twenty minutes I heard a sound off in the distance.

_"An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took..." _ At the sound of the merpeople singing I swim faster in their direction. I soon came to a large rock with a painting of merpeople on it. They were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid.

_". . . your time's half gone, so tarry not Lest what you seek stays here to rot. ..." _ I next passed a cluster of crude stone dwellings with thatched algae roves. That was when I caught my first glance at the merpeople. They had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks.

They leered whenever I swam past one. Some of them emerged from their caves to watch me closely. Their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson. Hermione, Fred, and Cho Chang were tied next to each other. The fourth person was a girl I didn't know, but she didn't look to be much older than eight. All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths. As I neared the hostages I was expecting the merpeople to lower their spears and charge at me. Thankfully they didn't. I swam up very close to the hostages. They were tied to the statue with thick slimy pieces of seaweed.

I briefly considered asking of the merpeople for a spear, but I knew better than to mistake their indifference for friendliness. There were rocks littering the bottom of the lake, I dove down and snatched the sharpest one I could find. I started sawing away at the seaweed ropes that had Fred bound to the statue. Once Fred was free he floated lifelessly in the water. It was creepy. I looked around there was no sign of any of the other champions. Without a second thought I began sawing away at the ropes that bound Hermione. Several strong grey hands grabbed at me as half a dozen mermen dragged me away from Hermione.

"You take your own hostage," one of them said to him. "Leave the others ..."

"No way!" I shook my head.

"Your task is to retrieve your own friend . . . leave the others …"

"She's my friend too!" I shouted, but no sound came out. I struggled against the mermen but they were strong. I wouldn't have time to take Fred to the surface and return for the others within the hour. The merepeople pointed excitedly above us. I looked up to see Cedric swimming our way. There was an enormous bubble around his head.

"Get lost!" He mouthed to me looking panic-stricken. "Fleur and Krum are coming now!" I felt relieved as I watched Cedric free Cho and pull her away out of sight. I decided to wait for the other champions, time was getting short and I did not want to see Hermione or the other girl lost to the merepeople. There was screeching as another figure approached us. It was a human body in swim trunks with the head of a shark. It was Krum, and it looked as if he had transfigured himself but badly. Shark-Krum swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes. Unfortunately for Kurm, having a shark head as big as his makes it impossible to bite anything smaller than a dolphin. Fearing that he may bit Hermione in half, I swam over to Krum and offered him my sharp rock. One she was free, Krum grabbed Hermione around the waist and rose rapidly to the surface. That left only Fleur. We couldn't afford to wait much longer. When Fleur had still not shown five minutes after Krum left, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. I plucked up my sharp stone again and tried to close in on Fred and the little girl. I was getting frustrated and there was no way I was letting these mermen keep their hostages. I pulled my wand out from my swimsuit. The merepeople's eyes were now open wide.

I held up three fingers. Letting them know that they had three seconds to get out of my way. By the time I had counted to two they had scattered. I raced forward and freed the small girl from the statue. I had failed to consider how I would get Fred and the girl up to the surface, but I figured slow and steady would be the best way to go. I stored my wand away again, grabbed the girl by the waist and Fred by the neck of his robes. The merpeople were following up to the surface after me. I was certain they would try to pull me back down to the watery depths. My arms and legs were begging to ache from pulling along the two bodies along with me. A searing pain began to burn on the sides of my throat as the effects of the Gillyweed began to wear off. Tugging along Fred and the girl became increasingly difficult when I had to hold my breath as well. I kicked and pulled, finally we broke the surface of the lake. I gasped breathing in delicious air. Now that we were on the surface I let go of Fred and the girl. Around us green haired heads began popping up to the surface, their expression changed to a smile. Fred and the little girl were now wide awake, treading water. The little girl looked scared and confused but Fred was blinking water out of his eyes smiling.

"It's awfully wet here." He commented splashing around. "Why did you bring her? With us?" Fred ask curiously.

"Well when Fleur didn't show, I couldn't just leave her…"

"You didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!" Fred laughed still splashing as we made our way toward the edge of the lake.

"The song said -"

"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit." Fred said shaking his hair out as we got to the bank. There was no point in feel bad about it. I knew I had done the right thing by staying whether the danger was real or not. I helped Fleur's hostage out of the water before climbing out of the lake myself. The Merpeople followed us all the way up to the banks. Once on land Madam Pomfrew swaddled us in thick blankets. Fluer came rushing over to us, her eyes on the little girl.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

"She's fine!" I answered shortly, the exhaustion finally taking its toll. I sat on the bank next to Fred. He wrapped an arm around me as we stared at the lake. Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish. Finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."

The judges went into a huddle. Fleur had many cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor would she allow Madam Pomfrey to clean them.

"You looked after Gabrielle, you saved 'er. Even though she was not your 'ostage." Fleur gushed.

"Yeah." I answered breathlessly. I couldn't think of anything else to say and thankfully I didn't have to. Ludo Bagman was now addressing the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows. Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points." There was a polite applause from the stands.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." The hufflepuffs erupted into enthusiastic cheers. "We therefore award him forty-seven points." I couldn't help but feel discouraged. If Cedric was outside the time limit then I definitely had been.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

Alice Potter used gillyweed to great effect." I gripped Fred's hand at the mention of my name, and waited anxiously for my score. She returned last and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in her return was due to her determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely her own. Most of the judges, feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However Mrs. Potter's score is forty-five points."

"Well done Alice! You're tied for first place with Cedric." Fred said wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions." Just like that it was over. I had passed the second task and was now tied for first place in the Triwiard Tournament.


	42. Chapter 42

**To Lillian Hope Black, Lily Ann Potter, thank you so much for sticking with me! And to the Wonderful Guest who reviewed Chapter 41, I'm so glad to see that you've read all of the stories in the series! I am desperately trying to finish Goblet of Fire because I am so eager to begin Order of the Phoenix. That being said I have full intensions of finishing the whole series. I also have a few companion stories planned out in my mind. To everyone out there, please keep reading and reviewing!**

**Chapter 42 Waffles**

This time when Fred and Harry insisted on throwing me a victory party I agreed, deciding that the second task was a victory worth celebrating. My one condition was that they invited Neville too because if it weren't for him I never would have been able to complete the second task. It was decided that Fred and George would head to the kitchen to get the food and in one hour we would all meet in the same classroom as before. Harry and Ron ran off to the Gryffindor tower. I could only imagine what they had in mind. Emily and Hermione disappeared just as quickly. I guessed they were off to find Ginny. Still wrapped in the blanket Madame Pomfrey had given me I began my search for Neville Longbottom. It was surprisingly easy for me to find him since he was waiting for me in the Entrance Hall.

"Alice!" He called as I walked in.

"Hey Neville!"

"Great job out there." He congratulated.

"Thanks Neville, but really I couldn't have done it without you. If you hadn't shown up at the library last night I would have ended up just like Fleur, stranded on the shore waiting for someone else to rescue Fred."

"Well I noticed you had been skipping meals a lot recently and I asked Emily if you were alright. She said you were fine but that you were having a real hard time trying to figure out the second clue. So I thought maybe I could help. It was nothing really."

"It was a life saver is what it was!" I exclaimed. "You're really smart Neville, and you should never down play that." Neville looked down at his shoes his face was pink with embarrassment. "Say Neville a few of us are getting together to celebrate the end of the second task, would you like to join us?" Instead of looking happy Neville just looked more embarrassed.

"Oh Alice you don't have to do that." He said talking to his shoes.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Invite me to your party because you think you owe me something for helping you."

"Neville I'm not asking you to come alone because I think I owe you. Like I said it's a party to celebrate the end of the second task. If it weren't for you I'd never be able to complete the second task. I'm asking you to come along as a friend, please?"

"Maybe after I finish my astronomy homework..."

"Well if you change your mind, we'll be meeting in the abandoned charms hallway, third classroom to the left. I'll be heading over there in about an hour." I smiled and thanked him one more time before moving down the stairs to the Slytherin common room. Once inside, I kicked off my shoes and carried them to the room I shared with Emily. Everything felt wet. The clothes I had pulled over my suit, the blanket Madame Pomfrey had given me, even the shoes in my hands. I tossed everything in a damp heap on the floor. After a nice warm shower I pulled on a pair of jeans and a tshirt. Still freezing I searched for the Dragon sweater Mrs. Weasley had knitted me. I pulled the soft wool over my head and smiled at the warmth it gave off. Once I pulled my feet into a warm pair of boots I walked back up the steps to the Entrance Hall to slowly make my way to the abandoned charms hallway. Knocking four times on the door, I entered the classroom to see Emily, Hermione and Ginny already there perched on the top of two desks. In their hands they each had a magazine.

"Hey there you three! Reading anything good?" I asked hopping up on an open desk next to Hermione.

"Emily was just showing us some of the witch gossip magazines."

"I see she saved the best for last." I said picking up a recent copy of Witch Weekly. "Or worst depending on your opinion." I added opening the magazine up to a random article. "Oh this can't be good." I said reading the title to myself.

_**Harry Potter's Secret Heartache**_

_A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss. Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl." However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest. "She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate._

"What can't be good?" Hermione asked looking over.

"Have any of you read this?" I asked handing the article over. Rather than turning into an angry or tear-filled mess like she usually did, Hermione just laughed.

"If that's the best Rita Skeeter can do, she's losing her touch. What a pile of old rubbish." She said tossing the magazine on the floor. "There's something funny though." She muses as she stared at the spot where the magazine had landed. "How could Rita Skeeter have known . . . ?"

"Know what?" I said looking over. "You and Harry haven't been having a hot steamy romance without telling any of us have you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" she laughed again. "How did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"

"He did?" Emily asked looking over in surprise.

"Well yeah. He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake. After he'd got rid of his shark;s head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to…And he did say he'd neer felt the same way about anyone else, but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there…or was she? Maybe she has got an invisibility cloak. Maybe she snuck onto the grounds to watch the second task…"

"Either way you lot have to be more careful what you say from now on." Ginny told us from across the room.

"You're right Ginny. There's no way of knowing how she's getting her information. That goes for the boys too we'll have to tell them when they get here." Ron and Harry were the first to arrive their arms bursting with sweets from Honeydukes and I suspected Fred and George as well.

"How do you two still have any teeth left?" Ginny asked as they dumped the sweets on a nearby desk.

"Maybe they've just become immune to the effects that sweets have on their teeth." Emily suggested.

"More like their teeth have become dependent on sugar." I added laughing.

"Very funny Alice." Harry replied less than amused.

"Well Harry since the girls are so against sweets I guess these are all for us." Ron said as he opened a package of Jelly slugs. We all watched as he violently bit the head off a slug.

"Now Ron I know mum taught you how to share." Ginny said as she plucked up a jar of lemon drops from the pile. Ron looked like his sister had just stolen his first born son. He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"Now now, Weasleys play nice." I playfully scolded. "This is supposed to be a party."

"Did someone say party?" George chimed in right on cue as he and Fred barged into the room with dozens of floating trays of food. Everyone broke off into their own conversations as Fred came to sit next to me.

"Brought you something special." He grinned.

"Oh really?" I asked looking over at him.

"Yup." He said producing a plate from behind his back. I looked down noticing it was a plate full of waffles, smothered in strawberry sauce. "I asked the house elves to make you these, because I know waffles are your favorite." Fred handed me the plate and a shining silver fork. Taking them from him I took in a big bite of waffle.

"Mmmm." I murmured as I swallowed. "How did you know?" I asked him.

"Of all the breakfasts you've eaten at the Gryffindor table or at my house, you thought I'd never noticed?"

"I never knew, someone paid so much attention to my eating habits." I told him through bites.

"Well normally I don't but I wanted to bring you something to say thank you."

"Thank you? For what?" I asked,

"Saving me from that lake." He answered very seriously.

"But Fred you said it yourself there's no way Dumbledore would leave you at the bottom of the lake."

"That doesn't erase the idea from my mind. It was brave of you to stay down there and make sure everyone was alright. I just thought someone should tell you that."

"Thanks Fred." I whispered before leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"Well aren't you two getting mighty cozy?" George called from across the room.

"Don't be cross because you haven't got anyone to kiss Georgie." Fred hollered back. The room burst into lighthearted laughter. We almost didn't hear the soft nock on the door.

"I'll get it!" said hoping down off the desk. I opened the door to see a very shy looking Neville Longbottom staring at the door expectantly. I smiled back at him. "Hello Neville, glad you could join us."

"I thought m-maybe this p-party could use some m-music?" He stuttered holding up a portable radio.

"What do you think guys, music for the party?" I called back into the room. Everyone was nodding their heads and cheering in agreement. "Come on in Neville!" I said ushering him inside. Thanks to Neville we now had music. We were eating and dancing and laughing. It was like a miniature Yule Ball. Only instead of fighting Ron and Hermione were trading Chocolate Frog cards. Emily and Neville played round after round of exploding snap. While George showed Harry some of him and Fred's newest ideas. Fred and I danced to nearly every song that played off Neville's radio that night. Even without his enchanted shoes Fred was still a decent dancer. It was the most fun any of us had in a long time. It was probably the longest any of us had gone without fighting in our four years together. Despite all that, I couldn't shake the feeling that that night would be like a calm before an oncoming storm.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43 Sirius**

"Are you meeting Fred at Hogsmead today?" Emily asked passing me the platter of Waffles she knew I was looking for. I took the platter from her and glanced over at the Gryffindor table.

"Didn't we _just_ have a trip to Hogsmeade?" I asked her still scanning the table for Fred. Emily's curls bounced as she shook her head.

"That was almost a month ago." She told me as she served herself some eggs. "So I guess Fred hasn't asked you to go with him?"

"No." I answered shaking my head. "But we've been spending so much time together maybe he needs some space." I told her contemplating my breakfast plate.

"Or maybe he just hasn't noticed there's a trip today." She reasoned. "Fred and George have been really busy trying to get their joke business up and running. I'm sure he's just been preoccupied."

"Oh good you're here!" I looked up to see George standing across the table from me.

"Where else would I be at breakfast time?" I asked him. He just shrugged in response.

"Fred sent me. We've been really busy the last few days workin' on something." George reached down and pulled an apple from the center of the Slytherin table. "Anyway we're so close to a breakthrough right now…Fred asked me to come down and tell you that he'd wanted to ask you to Hogsmeade, but he's been real busy."

"Tell him not to worry about it. I didn't even know there was a trip today! I'll probably just stay in and work on my Muggle Studies homework anyway."

"Alright then." George smiled. "I'll let him know."

"Hey George!" I called as he started to walk off. He turned to me. "Bring him these." I handed him a plate of fresh waffles.

"I'm sure he'll know they're from you." He said before taking the plate and walking away.

"What was that about?" Harry questioned from behind me.

"I guess Fred and George are busy working on some really complicated stuff. George said they're about to have a breakthrough and they can't get away from their work."

"Meaning?" I rolled my eyes at my brother's inability to connect the dots.

"_Meaning _I've got no one to go to Hogsmeade with." I told him.

"And who said you've got no one to go with?" He asked. "I just assumed you and Emily would come along with Hermione Ron and me like always."

"I might just sit this trip out. I don't really need to blow my galleons on Butterbeer and sugar quills."

"Well I suppose you could do that." Harry said before dropping his voice down low. "Or you and Emily could come with us to see Sirius."

"Sirius is here?" I whispered. "That's crazy! He's going to get caught!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's lasted this long Alice." Harry replied.

"I suppose you're right. I'd like to come along and see him."

"I thought you might." He stated smiling. After breakfast our small group made our way over to the village of Hogsmeade. "Everyone follow me." Harry said leading us up High Street, past Dervish and Banges towards the edge of the village.

"I don't think I've ever been this far out of town." I verbalized as we followed a winding lane past cottages and large gardens. "I like it though, reminds me of home."

"There he is!" Emily whispered, pointed to a very large shaggy black dog. It was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looked distinctly familiar.

"Hello, Sirius," Harry addressed the dog. In response Sirius sniffed eagerly at the rucksack in Harry's hand. He then trotted off towards a rocky mountain on our left.

"I guess we follow him." Ron shrugged as he followed after the big black dog. Sirius led us to the foot of the mountain where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but the rest of us were soon out of breath. Panting we followed him even high up into the mountain. After thirty minutes of climbing, Sirius slipped out of sight.

"Where did he go?" Emily asked.

"A cave obviously." Hermione answered plainly as she followed in after him. Ron and Harry did the same with no trouble, but Emily looked hesitant.

"Come on Em, Not afraid are you?" I asked standing by her side.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed as she pulled me into the cave. It was a tight fit, but the six of us were able to squeeze into the cool cave. Tethered at one end of the cave sat Buckbeak. Instinctively I bowed at the sight of his waiting for him to bow back. Since he was already lying down, the hippogriff gave a simple bob of the head. I sat cross-legged at his side and began stroking his feathery neck. Looking back to where the other stood I could see that Sirius had just transfigured from his dog form.

Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when we last saw him. Harry had produced a bundle of chicken legs and bread from his bag. Sirius thanked him and grabbed a drumstick before sitting on the floor of the cave.

"I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself."

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked concerned.

"Fulfilling my duty as godfather" Sirius answered back proudly. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." Harry tried to smile but his eyes gave him away. Noticing Harry's anxiety Sirius attempted to answer more seriously. "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter , well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried." He nodded at a pile of yellowing Daily Prophets near the mouth of the cave. Ron and Emily picked up a few and started to read them.

"What if they catch you? What if you're seen?" Hermione asked worried.

"You five and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus," Sirius said trying to sound comforting. When he failed to do some, he just continued to fill his face with food.

"Harry get a loud of these!" Ron said nudging my twin with his elbow. Harry took two articles from him and looked them over. Harry scanned the first article reading bits of it out loud.

"Hasn't been seen in public since November…house appears deserted…St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and injuries declined comment…Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness…They make it sound like he's dying." Harry said looking up from the article suddenly.

"My brothers Crouch's personal assistant," Ron informed Sirius. "He says Crouch is suffering from overwork."

"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close." I added in from Buckbeak's corner. "The night my name came out of the goblet. ..."

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" Hermione smirked. "I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now - bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him."

"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs," Ron told Sirius and I who both sent a confused look in Hermione's direction.

"Wait how do you know Crouch sacked his house-elf?" I asked walking away from Buckbeak.

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," Harry responded before launching into a tale about seeing Crouch and his House-elf Winky at the top box at the World Cup.

"Where was I during this?" I asked knowing that Harry and I had sat next to each other through the whole match.

"I think you had gone to the bathroom with Gin." Ron told me.

"Probably." I said remembering Arthur insist that Hermione or I accompany Ginny every time she had to go to the bathroom. "Did you tell Sirius about the rest of what happened at the world cup?" I asked Harry.

"Well, um no. I was just about to get to that." He answered recounted the story if the Dark Mark's appearance.

"Let me get this straight." Sirius asked. "You first saw the elfin the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"

"Right," Harry, Ron, and Hermione said together.

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?" Sirius continued.

"No. I think he said he'd been too busy." Harry recalled. Emily and I looked at each other from across the cave, confused. Sirius paced all around the cave in silence.

"Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?" He questioned suddenly.

"No." Harry told him shaking his head. "I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars." He stared at Sirius. "Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?"

"It's possible," Sirius said seriously.

"Winky didn't steal that wand!" Hermione jumped to the Elf's defense.

"The elf wasn't the only one in that box. Who else was sitting behind you?" Sirius asked

"Loads of people." Ron jumped in. "Some Bulgarian ministers, Cornelius Fudge, the Malfoys. I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!"

"Oh give it a rest Ron. What would Lucius Malfoy want with Harry's wand when he's got his own?" I asked. Sirius seemed to shake the idea away too.

"Anyone else?" he asked Harry again.

"No one." Hermione answered certainly.

"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman." I reminded.

"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. What's he like?" I thought for a moment considering Sirius' question.

"He's okay," I told them all honestly. "He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Does he, now? I wonder why he'd do that?" Sirius thought out loud.

"Says he's taken a liking to me." I shrugged.

"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, what did Crouch do?" Sirius asked changing the subject back.

"He sort of lost it. Had a fit and then stormed off." Harry answered.

"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf... and then he sacked her?"

"Yes, he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -"

"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" Ron burst out, but Sirius just shook his head at him.

"She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. All these absences of Barty Crouch's ... he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too. . . . It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"Do you know Crouch, then?" Harry questioned.

"Oh I know Crouch all right," Sirius answered darkly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban - without a trial."

"You-you didn't have a trial?" said not believing what I was hearing.

"No." Harry and he answered together. Sirius elaborated on the point. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?" We all shook our heads. He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic, He must still have a few friends in the department. He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical - and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter. No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side . . . well, you wouldn't understand . . . you're too young. ..."

"That's what my dad said at the World Cup." Ron told him sounding irritated.

"Try us." Emily said speaking up for the first time. A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face.

"All right, I'll try you. . . ." He said finally stopping his pacing. "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing . . . the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere . . . panic . . . confusion . . . that's how it used to be. Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemorts supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you - plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened. .. .Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."

"Crouch's son was caught?" Emily gasped.

"Yep, nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while . . . gotten to know his own son."

"Was his son a Death Eater?" Harry said.

"No idea. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters - but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf."

"Did Crouch try and get his son off?" Hermione whispered. Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark.

"Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again - doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy . . . then he sent him straight to Azkaban."

"He gave his own son to the dementors?" I whispered horrified.

"That's right," Sirius said any amusement removed from his face. "He was in the cell next to mine, he can't have been more than nineteen. Died about a year after they brought him in."

"He died?" This time it was Emily who sounded terrified.

"He wasn't the only one. Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live." Hermione answered coldly.

"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic...next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards." I answered.

"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him. If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater."

"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!" Ron said sharing information with Sirius that I would have rather kept secret.

"That doesn't make sense at all." Sirius shook his head.

"Yeah, it does!" said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head.

"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him."

"What do you think Hermione? Harry asked her.

"Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -"

"Oh give it a rest, Hermione," Ron burst impatiently. "I know Dumbledores brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -"

"If that's the case then why does Snape keep showing up to save us?" I asked putting my hands on my hips.

"I dunno - maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-" Ron began.

"What d'you think, Sirius?" Emily piped of from her corner of the cave.

"I think they've all got a point. Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," This caused Harry and Ron to smile. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters. Rosier and Wilkes - they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges - they're a married couple - they're in Azkaban. Avery - from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse -he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater - not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape s certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble."

"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet," Ron said still trying to prove his point.

"Yeah, you should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday! Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was."

"He showed Snape something on his arm?" Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I've no idea what that's about…" I knew he was lying, but I was probably the only one who did. "But if Karkaroff s genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers ...There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort." I bit down hard on my lower lip. _You'd be surprised how wrong you are Sirius._

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snapes office then?" Ron said stubbornly.

"Well. I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though . . . he's a different matter ... is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not. . . what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?" The cave fell silent as we all seriously pondered Sirius' question. "You say your brother s Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"

"I can try." Ron told him doubtfully. "Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch." Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes.

"What's the time?" he asked us. As Hermione was the only one with a watch we all looked to her.

"You'd better get back to school." Sirius again took in the sight of all of us. "I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you."

"No one's tried to attack us so far!" I said. "Well except a dragon, and some merpeople."

"I don't care. I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?"

"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you, see if I can scrounge another paper." He transformed back into the great big dog before trotting back down the mountain. Once we said good-bye to dog Sirius, we sat on a cold stone wall waiting for the next couch to Hogwarts.

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron questioned as we sat. "But maybe he doesn't care . . . It'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son."

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors." Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know, if he thought we were standing in the way of his career…Percy's really ambitious, you know. ..." None of us knew what to say to that, thankfully Emily was there to change the subject.

"Poor old Snuffles," She said staring out into the road. "He must really like you. Harry. . . .Imagine having to live off rats." We all laughed at that.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44 Nifflers**

"These're nifflers. Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff. . . . There yeh go, look." Hagrid told our Care of Magical Creatures class as he gestured towards a group of large open crates. The class crammed around the crates and cautiously looked inside. The crates held furry black creatures with long snouts. Their front paws were flat and they blinked up at us with puzzled expressions. They were surprisingly cute, it made me wonder what was wrong with them for Hagrid to like them so much. I didn't have to wonder much further when one of the nifflers leapt up and tried to bite off Pansy Parkinson's watch.

"Useful little treasure detectors." Hagrid continued his lesson. "Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" He pointed to a patch of freshly dug ground. "I've buried some gold coins, I've got a prize for whoever picks the niffler that digs the most . Just take off all yer valuables an' choose a niffler an' get ready ter set 'em loose!" Following Hagrid's instructions I removed the few pieces of jewelry I was wearing and tucked them away in my bag. Reaching down I picked up the niffler who recently attacked Parkinson for her watch. It put its long snout in my hair and began to sniff excitedly. I nearly asked Hagrid to let me keep it.

"Well Hermione, Emily, Harry, Ron…what are you waiting for?" I asked them taking my niffler to Hagrid's dirt patch. Once at the dirt patch Hagrid instructed us to let our nifflers go. The nifflers dove into the dirt patch and would resurface with a coin. They would adorably scurry back to the student that released it before spitting the gold into our hands. Most of us sat cross-legged and waited for our coins.

"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?" Ron asked excitedly as his niffler dived back into the soil.

"Yer mum wouldn' be happy, Ron," Hagrid grinned. "They wreck houses, nifflers. I reckon they've nearly got the lot, now," he added walking around the perimeter of the patch. "I on'y buried a hundred coins. Well, let's check how yeh've done! Count yer coins! An' there's no point tryin' ter steal any, Goyle, It's leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours." I looked across the patch in time to see Goyle emptying his pockets. Ron had been the most successful, with his Niffler bringing in almost twenty-five coins, so Hagrid gave him an enormous slab of Honeydukes chocolate for a prize.

"What yeh done ter your hands, Hermione?" Hagrid asked her concerned. For the first time I noticed that her hands were heavily wrapped in medical gauze. Hermione waved him off telling him she had received some hate mail because of the article in _Witch Weekly_

"Aaah, don worry, I got some o' those letters an all, after Rita Skeeter wrote abou me mum. 'Yeh're a monster an' yeh should be put down.' 'Yer mother killed innocent people an' if you had any decency you'd jump in a lake.'"

"No!" Hermione gasped, looking horrified.

"Yeah, They're jus' nutters, Hermione. Don' open 'em if yeh get any more. Chuck 'em straigh' in the fire."

"Thanks Hagrid." She smiled.

"We best be heading off before we miss lunch!" Emily chirped. After waving good-bye to Hagrid we walked up to the castle.

"Why didn't you tell me about the gold?" Ron asked Harry. Harry stared back at his best friend confused.

"What gold?"

"The gold I gave you at the Quidditch World Cup. The leprechaun gold I gave you in the Top Box. Why didn't you tell me it disappeared?" There was a long pause as Harry seemed to be thinking back to the World Cup.

"Oh . . ." he said the memory coming back to him at last. "I dunno ... I never noticed it had gone. I was more worried about my wand, wasn't I?"

"Must be nice to have so much money you don't notice if a pocketful of Galleons goes missing." Ron mumbled. I exchanged looks with the girls as we sensed tension building between the two boys.

"Listen, I had other stuff on my mind that night! We all did, remember?" Harry seemed exasperated.

"I didn't know leprechaun gold vanishes. I thought I was paying you back. You shouldn't've given me that Chudley Cannon hat for Christmas." Ron looked at the floor downcast.

"Forget it, all right?" Harry seemed to beg.

"I hate being poor." Ron admitted to us. Emily, Hermione, Harry and I exchanged a long meaningful look. None of us knew what to say. "It's rubbish." Ron continued. "I don't blame Fred and George for trying to make some extra money. Wish I could. Wish I had a niffler." He kicked at the ground as he walked. We were edging closer to the front steps of the castle.

"Well, we know what to get you next Christmas." Emily said brightly. Ron was still sulking as we made our way to the Entrance Hall.

"Come on Ron it could be worse. At least your fingers aren't full of pus." Hermione told him willing to take a joke at his own expense. "I hate that Skeeter woman!" Hermione burst, now equally as frustrated as Ron. "I'll get her back for this if it's the last thing I do!" She waved her first threateningly. Sending Harry a sympathetic look, I gladly lead Emily to the Slytherin table and left him with his depressed best friends. Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew all about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. I could tell Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend.

"It'll die down, though," He told Hermione confidently as we walked together to Charms. "If we just ignore it, people got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time."

"I want to know how she's listening into private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the grounds!" Hermione thought aloud.

"Hermione, is there any point in telling you to drop this?" Ron asked as we turned a corner.

"No!" Hermione shook her head, sending her bushy hair everywhere. "I want to know how she heard me talking to Viktor! And how she found out about Hagrids mum!"

"Maybe she had you bugged," Harry suggested.

"Bugged? What she fleas on her or something?" Emily asked looking confused.

"No." I told her. "I learned about this is muggle studies. Muggles will sometimes hide microphones or other recording stuff so that they can, well record other people's conversations. But Harry that wouldn't work." Hermione nodded her head in agreement while the boys still looked confused.

"Aren't you two ever going to read _Hogwarts, A History?_"

"What's the point? You know it by heart, we can just ask you." Ron retorted as we entered the Charms classroom.

"All those substitutes for magic that Muggles use - electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things, they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there's too much magic in the air. No, Rita's using magic to eavesdrop, she must be. .. If I could just find out what it is... ooh, if it's illegal, I'll have her ..."

"Haven't we got enough to worry about? Do we have to start a vendetta against Rita Skeeter as well?" Ron questioned.

"I'm not asking you to help!" Hermione snapped. "I'll do it on my own!" She marched off into the classroom and wouldn't speak to Ron through the rest of the lesson. In the weeks that followed Hermione didn't ask us to help her pursue her new vendetta against Rita Skeeter, which for us was great news because the Easter holidays were approaching and all the professors had once again increased our work load.

"Mail's here!" Emily called up to the ceiling of the Great Hall. We were sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table celebrating the beginning of our holiday break.

"Percy's letter is finally here!" Ron said snatching his letter from the beak of his tiny little owl.

"_As I am constantly telling the Daily Prophet, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break. He is sending in regular owls with instructions. No, I haven't actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superior's handwriting. I have quite enough to do at the moment without trying tos quash these ridiculous rumors. Please don't bother me again unless it's something important. Happy Easter."_

"Ron." I said looking over at him very seriously. "Percy's a git."

"Tell me about it!" He chuckled.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45 Mr. Crouch **

The last week in May finally arrived and was almost time for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Ali there you are!" Fred called from down the hall as I was leaving Muggle Studies.

"Hey Fred! What's up?" I asked giving him a big hug.

"McGonagall sent me. They're going to tell you about the last task."

"Oh," I readjusted the straps of my bag as I waited for him to continue.

"They want everyone to meet down at the Quidditch field tonight at nine."

"Thanks for letting me know." I smiled and started to walk away.

"Hey!" he hollered after me. "Let me walk you to your next class!"

"I can't believe it's already time for the last task." I told him as I took his hand.

"Yeah me either. Make Hogwarts proud alright?" He dropped his hand from mine and kissed me on the forehead.

"I think I've done well so far." I told him before entering the transfigurations classroom. At half past eight that night I made my way up to the Entrance Hall. Cedric was there and he seemed to be waiting for me.

"What d'you reckon it's going to be?" He asked me as we walked to together down the stone steps. "Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels, she reckons we've got to find treasure."

"That wouldn't be too bad!" I said thinking back to my niffler lesson with Hagrid. "Hey what have they done to the Quidditch pitch?" I asked as the approached the stadium. From where we stood we could see long low walls that twisted and crosses in every direction.

"They're hedges." Cedric answered me. "Let's go get a closer look." He raced off and I followed after him.

"Hello there!" Ludo Bagman called as we approached. He was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. We slowly made our way to them by climbing over the hedges. "Well, what do you think?" Bagman asked happily once we had joined them. "Growing nicely aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high! Don't worry you'll have your quidditch field back to normal once the task is over." I noticed Cedric relax at my side, though the Idea of playing Quidditch over hedges intrigued me. "Now I imagine you can guess what we're making here."

"Maze." Krum grunted.

"That's right!" Bagman told us excitedly. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We seemply 'ave to get through the maze?" Fleur questioned.

"There will be obstacles," warned. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures . . . then there will be spells that must be broken ... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman smiled at Cedric and I. "Then Mr. Krum will enter . . . then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?" _As long as Hagrid's pets don't kill us._ I thought but nodded animatedly along with the other champions. "Very well. . . if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly. ..." Bagman scurried off in the direction of the castle. I was about to do the same when Krum tapped me on the shoulder.

"Could I haff a vord?"

"Uh, sure." I shrugged my shoulders having no idea what he would want to talk to me for.

"Vill you valk vith me?"

"Yeah." I followed Krum as he walked towards the forest. "What are we going all the way out here for?"

"Don't vont to be overheard." We were far from the castle before Krum stopped walking.

"I vant to know, vot there is between your brother and Hermy-own-ninny." _That's what you don't want people overhearing? You think there is something going on with Harry and Hermione? _ I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Nothing." I answered honestly. "They are just friends, best friends, she's not his girlfriend or anything and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up." Krum stared back at me, skeptical.

"Hermy-own-ninny talks about him very often."

"Yeah because they are friends, like I said.

"They haff never . . . they haff not..."

"No." I answered firmly. "Believe me I'm his sister, I would know." Krum's features relax.

"You fly very veil. I vos votching at the first task."

"Uh thanks. I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. You really…" But something moved behind Krum in the trees and I lost my train of thought. Krum didn't know the kind of things that lurked in the forest so I instinctively jumped in front of him.

"Vot is it?" I put my finger to my lips so Krum would know to keep quite. I slowly slipped my hand into my robes and grasped my wand. Without a warning a man staggered out from behind a tall tree. I was about to cast a spell before I realized it was Mr. Crouch. He looked as though he had been in the forest for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and his skin was gray. The way he look was nothing compared to the way he was behaving. Muttering, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see.

"Vosn't he a judge? Isn't he vith your Ministry?" I nodded speechless as Crouch continued to converse with a nearby bush.

"... and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve. . . ." I was reluctant to do anything for fear of how Mr. Crouch would react, but I knew that if we didn't do something, things could end much worse.

"Mr. Crouch?" I whispered.

"... and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen ... do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will..."Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees.

"Mr. Crouch?" I said a little louder. "Are you all right?" Crouch said nothing but his eyes began to roll in his head.

"Vot is wrong with him?"

"I don't know. Look can you go and get someone…"

"Dumbledore!" Mr. Crouch gasped from the ground. "I need to see Dumbledore…"

"Well if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the…"

"I've done…stupid…thing…" Mr. Crouch breathed looking insane. Very word he spoke seemed to cost him a vast amount of effort. "Must…tell…Dumbledore…"

"Get up, Mr. Crouch!" I nearly commanded. "Get up, I'll take you to Dumbledore!"

"Who ... you?" He whispered back in respond.

"My name is Alice, I'm a student at the school." I turned to Krum for some help, but he was hanging back looking extremely nervous.

"You're not... his?" Crouch whispered back.

"N-no?" I answered having no idea what he was talking about.

"Dumbledore's?"

"Yeah…" I told him still having no idea what was going on.

"Warn…Dumbledore ..." Crouch grasped onto the bottom of my robes I tried to pull away but he was too strong.

"I'll get Dumbledore if you let go of me. Just let go, Mr. Crouch, and I'll get him…" Mr. Crouch did let go of my robes, but only to continue talking to a nearby tree.

"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. , my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.S, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response. ..."

"Stay here with him!" I ordered Krum. "I'm going to fetch Dumbledore, It'll be quicker for me to go, I already know where his office is."

"He is mad." Krum said as he stared down at Crouch.

"Just say with him!" I turned to walk away, but this triggered another fit from Mr. Crouch.

"Don't…leave…me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I...escaped…must warn…must tell... see Dumbledore…my fault…all my fault…Bertha…dead ...all my fault…my son ...my fault…tell Dumbledore…Harry Potter ...the Dark Lord…stronger…Harry Potter..."

"Just keep him here! I'll be back with Dumbledore." I ran off without another world. It was probably the fastest I run in my who life, but the time I reached the giant eagle that guarded Dumbledore's office my sides were hurting and I was panting.

"Sher-Sherbet lemon!" I gasped. When the stairs didn't magically move like I'd become accustom to, I realized Dumbledore must have a new password. I thought maybe Professor McGonagall would know how to get in touch with him. Her office was the closest of all the heads of houses, so running as fast as I could I sprinted down the stairs

"POTTER!" _Not now Severus._ I grumbled internally.

"What are you doing here, Potter?"

"I _need_ to see Professor Dumbledore. " I quickly weighed my optioned before deciding that telling Severus what was going on would be the fastest way to get to Dumbledore. "It's Mr. Crouch, he's just turned up! He's in the forest…" Severus rolled his eyes as if I was telling a childish story.

"What are you going on about? Slow down." I wanted to stamp my feet and pout, he could be so frustrating sometimes, but I knew that wouldn't get me anywhere so I just took a deep breath.

"Mr. Crouch, from the Ministry! He's ill or something, he's in the forest and he wants to see Dumbledore. Please just give me the password up to..."

"The headmaster is busy Miss Potter."

"Please Sev, this is important!" He probably thought I was whining, but I didn't have time for him to be stubborn. I was about to launch into an argument with him when a the stone wall behind me slip open. Dumbledore stepped out through the secret passage wearing long green robes and a curious expression.

"Is there a problem?" He asked looking between Severus and I.

"Professor Dumbledore! Mr. Crouch is here he's down in the forest he wants to speak with you.

"Lead the way." Dumbledore said without asking any questions. We walked away from Severus leaving him to skulk the halls like he was doing before.

"What did Mr. Crouch say?"

"He said he wants to warn you, that he's done something terrible. He mentioned his son and Bertha Jorkins, I think, and Voldemort. He said something about Voldemort getting stronger and he mentioned Harry."

"Indeed." Dumbledore quickened his pace but didn't say anymore.

"He's not acting normally. He doesn't seem to know where he is. He keeps talking like he thinks Percy Weasley's there, and then he changes, and says he needs to see you. ... I left him with Viktor Krum."

"You did? Do you know if anybody else saw Mr. Crouch?"

"No. Krum and I were talking, Mr. Bagman had just finished telling us about the third task. Krum and I stayed behind and then we saw Mr. Crouch come out of the forest.

"Where are they?"

"Over here." I pointed to where I left Krum. We reached the spot I indicated but both Krum and Crouch were gone. "Viktor!" I shouted out to the trees. When no one answered, I turned back to Dumbledore.

"They were here. They were definitely somewhere around here." Professor Dumbledore lit the tip of his wand and swept it across the forest in front of us. The narrow beam from his wand illuminated the ground before falling upon a pair of feet. We ran forward to find Krum sprawled on the forest floor, unconscious. There was no sin of Mr. Crouch at all. Dumbledore studied Krum for a moment.

"He is merely stunned."

"Should I go and get someone? Madam Pomfrey?" I suggested.

"No stay here." He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Something silvery darted out of it and raced off towards the nearby bushes. Dumbledore pointed his wand at Krum and whispered "ennervate."

"He attacked me! The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see var Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"

"Lie still for a moment," Dumbledore instructed Krum. Before any of us could say anything, the sound of thunderous footsteps reached us. I turned over myshoulder to see Hagrid carring his crossbow, Fang at his side. Fang recognized me immediately and tackled me to the ground before attempting to lick my face off. Hagrid just stared at the scene in disbelief.

"Professor Dumbledore! Alice! What are yeh…"

"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff. His student has been attacked, when you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -"

"No need, Dumbledore, I'm here." A wheezy grown said from behind Hagrid. "Damn leg, would've been here quicker… what's happened? Snape said something about Crouch -"

"Crouch?" Hagrid looked confused.

"Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!" Dumbledore spoke sharply.

"Oh yeah . .'. right y'are, Professor. . ." Hagrid, turned and disappeared into the darkness, Fang trotting after him.

"I don't know where Barty Crouch is, but it is essential that we find him." Dumbledore told Moody.

"I'm on it." Moody pulled out his wand and limped off into the trees. Dumbledore and I waited silently for Hagrid to return. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind Fang. He looked pale and agitated.

"What is this, What's going on?"

"I vos attacked! Mr. Crouch or votever his name -" Krum replied rubbing his head.

"Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"

"Igor," Dumbledore began, but Karkaroff cut him off looking wild and livid.

"Treachery!" he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. "It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though she is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences - here's what I think of you!" Karkaroff spat on the ground at Dumbledore's feet. My eyes grew wide, I didn't know what to say. I'd never seen anyone so openly disrespect Dumbledore.

"Kindly escort Allison back to the castle would you Hagrid?" Hagrid was glaring violently at Karkaroff.

"Maybe I'd better stay here. Headmaster. . . ."

"You will take Allison back to school, Hagrid," Dumbledore repeated firmly. "Take her right to the Slytherin Dungeons. And Alice, I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do, anywhere you might want to visit, and owls you might want to send, they can wait until morning. Do you understand?"

Take him right up to Gryffindor Tower. And Harry - I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do - any owls you might want to send - they can wait until morning, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." I nodded knowing that was his way of telling me to wait until the morning to contact Severus or Remus.

"I'll leave Fang with yeh. Headmaster. Stay, Fang, C'mon, Alice." Hagrid waited until we were near the castle steps before speaking.

"How dare he! How dare he accuse Dumbledore, Like Dumbledore'd do anythin' like that! Like Dumbledore wanted you in the tournament in the firs' place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he's bin lately. An' you! What were yeh doin', wanderin' off with ruddy Krum? He's from Durmstrang, Alice! Coulda jinxed yeh right there, couldn he? Hasn' Moody taught yeh nothin'? 'Magine lettin him lure yeh off on yer own -"

"Krum's alright!" I defended as we entered the Entrance Hall. "He wasn't trying to jinx me, he just wanted to ask me about Harry and Hermione."

"I'll be havin' a few words with her, an' all, the less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can trust any of 'em."

"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime." I answered quickly before I forgetting for a moment that I wasn't supposed to know about his interest in her.

"Don' you talk ter me abou' her! I've got her number now! Tryin' ter get back in me good books, tryin' ter get me ter tell her what's comin in the third task. Ha! You can' trust any of'em!"

"I'm sorry Hagrid. Thanks for walking me back to the castle." I said at the top of the dungeon stairs. "Oh and Hagrid, don't worry too much about Dumbledore. I'm pretty sure he'll have his own choice words for Karkaroff, otherwise, he wouldn't have sent us away." Hagrid smiled at that.

"I recon you might be right."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46 Cocroach Clusters **

"Harry!" I had been standing at the base of the grand staircase anxiously waiting for my brother and his friends to come down for breakfast.

"Hi Alice!" He said sleeping.

"Morning Alice!" Ron and Hermione greeted from behind him.

"I need to talk to you guys about something." Almost immediately Ron started to whine.

"Alice I'm hungry!" Harry shot his best friend a disapproving look.

"Fine you two go ahead and I'll fill you in later." Ron and Hermione joined the large crowd of students entering the Great Hall and I pulled Harry to a nearby broom cupboard. Once inside I told Harry everything that had happened last night from Krum asking me about Harry and Hermione all the way thought to Karkaroff spitting at Dumbledore.

"You should have seen Hagrid! I don't think I've ever seen him so mad!" I said as I finished my story.

"Krum really just wanted to ask you about Hermione and me?" Harry asked.

"Harry James Potter..." I was about to launch into an angry rant about how the only thing he retained from all of that was what Krum wanted to talk about.

"Save the lecture Alice, I heard everything you said." I narrowed my eyes at him even though I knew he couldn't see them in the dimly lit cupboard. "I meant how dowe know Krum didn't have something to do with Crouch being there. Isn't it possible Crouch could have told Krum to lure you into the forest." Though this idea had not come to me right away, I was keen to strike it down for one reason.

"You didn't hear the way Crouch was talking, he was sputtering and going on like

made man. I don't think he could have made Krum do something like that."

"Well he did knock Krum out didn't he?"

"I suppose it's possible..."

"I'm going to owl Sirius either way." Harry seemed to decide out loud. "He asked us to keep him informed on anything that goes on."

"It can't hurt. Well we best get off to breakfast, wouldn't want you to be late for your first class of the day."

"Really it's alright; Ron and I've got Divinations first."

"That explains why Emily went racing out of the room this morning. She loves that class! She's probably already sitting up there swapping death predictions with Trewlany." I said as we crossed the Entrance Hall to enter the Great Hall. After breakfast I sat next Hermione in muggle studies. That day we were learning about muggle lawn equipment.

"My dad has one of those!" Hermione told me as she pointed to something called a lawn mower.

"What does it do?"

"Cuts grass."

"And? What else does it do?"

"That's all. It just cuts grass. There are loads of different kinds, some of them are motorized. Anyway you push them along your lawn, and it cuts your grass."

"Sounds like a lot of work." I told her.

"It is! That's why a lot of muggle boys will charge their neighbor to do it for them."

"Remind me never to become a muggle." She looked like she wanted to say more on the subject, but Harry had just come barging into the classroom. Hermione and I exchanged a worried look.

"Er-Um, Professor could I have a quick word with my sister?"

"Certainly Mister Potter, Allison take all the time you need."

"Thanks Professor Burbage, this won't take long."

"I should've taken Muggle Studies." Harry admitted when I joined him in the hallway.

"Still could, it's pretty fascinating."

"Come on we've got to see Dumbledore!" Harry grabbed my arm and dragged me off to the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Why what's wrong?" I tried to twist out of his grip so he would stop or at least slow down.

"I fell asleep in Divinations."

"We're running to tell Dumbledore that you fell asleep in class?" Harry shook his head but continued to run along. "Let me finish, I fell asleep in Divinations and I saw Voldemort, it was like like a vision, I'll explain when we get up there. For now I need your help." We stopped suddenly in front of the eagle that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"Harry I don't know the password."

"Neither do I, but I'm sure it's some sort of sweet, it always is. Help me with guessing?"

"Sure." I shrugged. "Chocolate Frogs" nothing happened.

"Sugar quills!" Still nothing.

"Peppermint toads!"

"Fizzing whizzbees"

"Every Flavour Beans...oh he doesn't like those does he?"

"Chocolate Cauldrons! For the love of Merlin." I cursed as I kicked the large eagle. "Cockroach Clusters?" This time the eagle did step aside and the stairs began to float forward towards Dumdbledore's office. Harry and I hopped on the moving stairs without a second thought.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47 Through the Pensieve**

The door to Professor Dumbledore's office was slightly ajar and we could hear voices inside. Harry looked like he wanted to burst into the office but a placed my hand on his shoulder holding him back.

"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "Ludo says Berthas perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"

"And what do you thinks happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" We heard Moody growl.

"I see two possibilities, Alastor," Fudge answered. "Either Crouch has finally cracked -more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history -lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere -"

"He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius," Dumbledore pointed out calmly.

"Or else - well...well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"

"I consider her to be a very able headmistress - and an excellent dancer," Dumbledore replied.

"Dumbledore, come!" Fudge sounded angry. "Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favor because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless - if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got -"

"I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid. I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."

"Can we wrap up this discussion?" Moody grumbled.

"Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then," Fudge answered impatiently.

"No, it's not that, it's just that the Potters wants a word with you, Dumbledore. They're just outside the door." Harry and I exchanged a confused look before we realize that Moody must be seeing us through the door with his magical eye. The door of the office opened.

"Hello, Potters, Come in then." Harry and I stepped past Moody and into Professor Dumbledore's office. Cornelius Fudge was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, wearing a pinstriped cloak and holding his lime green bowler hat.

"Allison, Harry! How are you?"

"Fine." We answered in unison. Fudge nodded and continued talking. "We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds. It was you, Allison, who found him, was it not?"

"Yes." I answered. "I didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere though, and she'd have a bit of trouble hiding wouldn't she?" I knew that if Severus were there he'd scold me for not minding my own business, I was glad to see that Dumbledore didn't feel the same way. He smiled at me from behind Fudge's back.

"Yes, well," Fudge replied shortly. "We're about to go for a short walk on the grounds if you'll excuse us ... perhaps if you just go back to your classes-"

"I wanted to talk to you. Professor," Harry said quickly.

"Wait here for me, Harry. You're welcome to stay as well Alice. Our examination of the grounds will not take long." I elected to wait in office with Harry while the others left the office.

"Hello, Fawkes," Harry said crossing the room to Professor Dumbledore's Phoenix. I instead began to look around Dumbledore's office. I had been in the office a few times but I knew Professor Dumbledore was constantly acquiring new things to put in his office. Staring behind Dumbledore's desk I saw the Sorting Hat standing on a shelf. When I was sorted my first year I didn't notice how ragged and worn it was. Next to the sorting hat there was a glass case that held a brilliant silver sword with large rubies set into the hilt. I recognized it immediately as the sword of Godric Gryffindor that Harry had pulled from the sorting hat our second year at Hogwarts. Staring at the sword I noticed a patch of silvery light shimmering on the glass case. I looked around to see a white light shining through an opening in a black cabinet behind me.

"Harry!" I called to my brother who was still stroking Fawks. He joined me in front of the cabinet and was obviously as interested in it as I was. "Should we open it?"

"Probably not." Harry answered as he reached out for the cabinet door. Harry opened the cabinet and we peered inside. A shallow stone basin lay there with runes and symbols carved around the edge. The silvery light was coming from the basin's contents. Harry took out his wand and prodded at the gelatinous substance inside the basin. The surface of the silvery substance began to swirl very fast, I watched as Harry bent his face forward to get a closer look. I watched in shock as Harry's full body was sucked into the basin. Reluctantly I leaned forward and followed my twin brother. We landed in a room lit only by torches in brackets, there weren't any windows from what I could see. All around the room there were rows of witches and wizards seated on benches of varying levels. An empty chair stood in the very center of the room, chains encircled the arms of it, as though its occupants were usually tied to it.

"Where are we?" Harry whispered looking about the room.

"Don't know, but it's definitely not Hogwarts." Harry and I continued to look around and I noticed that out of the two hundred or so wizards in the room not one of them seemed to notice the two fourteen year olds who had just materialized.

"Professor!" Harry's whisper interrupted my thoughts. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to -I was just looking at that basin in your cabinet - I - where are we?" I looked over to see Harry talking to Professor Dumbledore but our headmaster, like the rest of the wizards and witches couldn't hear us. They were all staring into the far corner of the room.

"Harry they can't hear us. I think, I think we're in a memory." Harry raised his right hand and waved it in front of Professor Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore didn't blink or move at all. "See!"

"What do you reckon they're all waiting for?" He asked me as he sat down next to the memory of our headmaster.

"Don't know." I replied sitting down next to my brother. The room was bleak, there were no pictures on the walls no decorations just the rows of benches and the torturous looking chair. After a few more moments of silence there we heard footsteps. The door in the corner of the room opened, a man and two dementor's entered the room. I noticed Harry stiffen next to me he was terrified of demementors, I wasn't their biggest fan but they didn't horrify me the way they did Harry. The dementor's chained the man to the chair before gliding out of the room. It was then that I realized the man sitting in front of us was Igor Karkaroff. He looked much younger in his thin ragged robes, he was shaking in his seat.

"Igor Karkaroff," Harry and I whipped our heads to the left to see Mr. Crouch standing up in the middle of our row. Crouch's hair was dark, his face was much less lined, he looked fit and alert. "You have been brought from Azkaban to present evidence to the Ministry of Magic. You have given us to understand that you have important information for us." Karkaroff straightened himself as best he could since he was tightly bound to the chair.

"I have, sir. I wish to be of use to the Ministry. I wish to help. I - I know that the Ministry is trying to - to round up the last of the Dark Lords supporters. I am eager to assist in any way I can. ..." There was a murmur around the benches. Some of the wizards and witches were surveying Karkaroff with interest, others whispered their mistrust. Then a familiar growl of "Filth." Came from Dumbledore's other side. Mad-Eye Moody was sitting next to Dumbledore with one noticeable difference on his face. He did not have his magical eye, but two normal ones. Both were looking down upon Karkaroff, and both were narrowed in intense dislike.

"He doesn't have his magical eye yet!" Harry pointed.

"We'll he wasn't born with it! Now pay attention." I commented.

"Crouch is going to let him out," Moody breathed quietly to Dumbledore. "He's done a deal with him. Took me six months to track him down, and Crouch is going to let him go if he's got enough new names. Let's hear his information, I say, and throw him straight back to the dementors." Dumbledore looked at Moody disapprovingly.

"Ah, I was forgetting . . . you don't like the dementors, do you, Albus?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't. I have long felt the Ministry is wrong to ally itself with such creatures."

"But for filth like this . . ." Moody said softly.

"You say you have names for us, Karkaroff," Mr. Crouch spoke again. Let us hear them, please."

"You must understand," Karkaroff began hurriedly, "that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named operated always in the greatest secrecy. . . . He preferred that we - I mean to say, his supporters - and I regret now, very deeply, that I ever counted myself among them -"

"Get on with it," Moody sneered.

"We never knew the names of every one of our fellows - He alone knew exactly who we all were -"

"Which was a wise move, wasn't it, as it prevented someone like you, Karkaroff, from turning all of them in," Moody called in another outburst.

"Yet you say you have some names for us?" Mr. Crouch pried.

"I - I do. And these were important supporters, mark you. People I saw with my own eyes doing his bidding. I give this information as a sign that I fully and totally renounce him, and am filled with a remorse so deep I can barely -"

"These names are?" Crouch interrupted him. Karkaroff drew a deep breath.

"There was Antonin Dolohov. I - I saw him torture countless Muggles and - and non-supporters of the Dark Lord."

"And helped him do it," Moody murmured.

"We have already apprehended Dolohov, he was caught shortly after yourself." Crouch informed him.

"Indeed? I - I am delighted to hear it!" Karkaroff said though he looked far from delighted.

"Any others?" Mr. Crouch said coldly.

"Why, yes ... there was Rosier, Evan Rosier."

"Rosier is dead," Crouch said "He was caught shortly after you were too. He preferred to fight rather than come quietly and was killed in the struggle."

"No - no more than Rosier deserved!" Karkaroff said though his voice was giving off a hint of panic.

"Any more?" Crouch asked again.

"Yes! There was Travers - he helped murder the McKinnons! Mulciber -he specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless people to do horrific things! Rookwood, who was a spy, and passed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named useful information from inside the Ministry itself!" at the mention of the name Rookwood, the watching crowd began to mutter and whisper.

"Rookwood? Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries?"

"The very same." Karkaroff nodded. "I believe he used a network of well-placed wizards, both inside the Ministry and out, to collect information -"

"But Travers and Mulciber we have," said Mr. Crouch. "Very well, Karkaroff, if that is all, you will be returned to Azkaban while we decide -"

"Not yet! Wait, I have more!" Karkaroff cried desperately. "Snape!" he shouted. "Severus Snape!" At the mention of Severus' name I glanced nervously between Harry and Dumbledore.

"Snape has been cleared by this council," Crouch told Karkaroff disdainfully "He has been vouched for by Albus Dumbledore."

"No!" Karkaroff shouted, straining at the chains that bound him to the chair. "I assure you! Severus Snape is a Death Eater!" By now Dumbledore had risen to his feet and he began to speak.

"I have given evidence already on this matter," he said calmly. "Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort's downfall andturned spy for us, at great personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am." Out of the corner of my eye I could see the skepticism etched in Mad-eye's face.

"Very well, Karkaroff," Crouch began once again "You have been of assistance. I shall review your case. You will return to Azkaban in the meantime. ..." Mr. Crouch's voice faded away and the walls began to dissolve as if they were mad of smoke. Without warning the room returned Harry and I were now seated on a different seat on the highest bench, but next to Mr. Crouch. The atmosphere was relaxed and much less solemn than it was at Karkaroff's trial. The witches and wizards around the room were talking pleasantly with one another.

"I wonder who is on trial this time." I said to Harry with a worried look. The door in the corner opened, and Ludo Bagman walked into the room. This Ludo Bagman was seemed much younger than the Triwizard judge I was used to seeing around Hogwarts. He was tall, lean, and muscular. Bagman looked nervous as he sat down in the chained chair, but it did not bind him as it had done to Karkaroff. This seemed to relax Bagman instantly he bagan to glance around the crowd waving at a few of the witches and wizards, he even managed a small smile.

"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters," Mr. Crouch addressed Bagman. "We have heard the evidence against you, and are about to reach our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgment?"

"Only," Bagman smiled awkwardly. "well - I know I've been a bit of an idiot -" One or two wizards and witches in the surrounding seats smiled, Mr. Crouch did not appear to share their feelings. He was staring down at Ludo Bagman with an expression of the utmost severity and dislike.

"You never spoke a truer word, boy," Moody muttered behind Dumbledore. "If I didn't know he'd always been dim, I'd have said some of those Bludgers had permanently affected his brain. ..."

"Does Moody like anyone?" I asked Harry. He shugged at me in response.

"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information to Lord Voldemort's supporters. For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Azkaban lasting no less than -" Before Crouch could finish his statement there were angry outbursts throughout the room. Several of the witches and wizards around the room stood up shaking their heads and even their firsts. .

"But I've told you, I had no idea!" Bagman called out."None at all! Old Rookwood was a friend of my dad's . . .never crossed my mind he was in with You-Know-Who! I thought I was collecting information for our side! And Rookwood kept talking about getting me a job in the Ministry later on ... once my Quidditch days are over, you know ... I mean, I can't keep getting hit by Bludgers for the rest of my life, can I?"

"It will be put to the vote," Mr. Crouch responded coldly. He turned to the right-hand side of the dungeon. "The jury will please raise their hands . . . those in favor of imprisonment..." Harry and I turned to the jury where no one person raised their hand. One of the witches in the jury stood up.

"Yes?" Mr. Crouch barked.

"We'd just like to congratulate Mr. Bagman on his splendid performance for England in the Quidditch match against Turkey last Saturday," the witch said breathlessly. Mr. Crouch looked furious. The dungeon was ringing with applause now. Bagman got to his feet and bowed, beaming.

"Despicable," Mr. Crouch spat at Dumbledore, sitting down as Bagman walked out of the dungeon. "Rookwood get him a job indeed. . . . The day Ludo Bagman joins us will be a sad day indeed for the Ministry. . . ." The room began to dissolved for a second time but when it returned there was nothing but total silence. The silence was broken only by the dry sobs from a frail wispy-looking witch in the seat next to Mr. Crouch. She was clutching a handkerchief to her mouth with trembling hands.

"Bring them in," Crouches voice echoed through the room. The door in the corner of the room opened again, six dementors entered this time, flanking a group of four people. The witches and wizards seated in the benches around the room all turned their attention to Crouch. The dementors placed each of the four people in were pushed into a chair with chained arms like we had seen before. There was a thickset man who stared blankly up at Crouch; a thinner and more nervous-looking man, whose eyes were darting around the crowd; a woman with thick, shining dark hair and heavily hooded eyes, who was sitting in the chained chair as though it were a throne; and a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified. He was shivering, his straw-colored hair all over his face, his freckled skin milk-white. The wispy little witch beside Crouch began to rock backward and forward in her seat, whimpering into her stood up. He looked down upon the four in front of him, and there was pure hatred in his face.

"You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law," he said clearly, "so that we may pass judgment on you, for a crime so heinous -"

"Father," the boy with the straw-colored hair begged. "Father. . .please . . ."

"- that we have rarely heard the like of it within this court," Crouch contiuned, speaking more loudly, drowning out his son's voice.

"We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror - Frank Longbottom - and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named -"

"Father, I didn't!" Crouches son shrieked. "I didn't, I swear it. Father, don't send me back to the dementors -"

"You are further accused," Crouch continued to bellow."Of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when he would not give you information. You planned to restore He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while he was strong. I now ask the jury -"

"Mother! Mother, stop him. Mother, I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"

"I now ask the jury," Mr. Crouch was shouting now. "To raise their hands if they believe, as I do, that these crimes deserve a life sentence in Azkaban!" In unison, the witches and wizards along the right-hand side of the dungeon raised their hands. The crowd around the walls began to clap as it had for Bagman, their faces full of savage triumph. The boy began to scream.

"No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him!" Crouches son was begging violently. The dementors were gliding back into the room. The boys' three companions rose quietly from their seats; the woman with the heavy-lidded eyes looked up at Crouch and hollered "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"

"I'm your son! I'm your son!" The young boy screamed as he was dragged out of the room with the others.

"You are no son of mine!" Mr. Crouch bellowed, his eyes bulging suddenly. "I have no son!" With those final words Crouch's wife fainted. Crouch pretended not to have noticed. "Take them away, take them away, and may they rot there!"

"Father! Father, I wasn't involved! No! No! Father, please!"

"I think. children, it is time to return to my office." A quiet voice said from behind us. Harry and I whipped our heads around to see Professor Dumbledore standing behind us. He grabbed each of us by the elbow and pulled upwards. The scene began to dissolve around us as we soared up. The three of us landed flat on our foot in Professor Dumbledore's office. The stone basin was shimmering in front of Harry and I, Professor Dumbledore was standing behind us.

"Professor, I know I shouldn't've - I didn't mean - the cabinet door was sort of open and -" Harry began to ramble as he had before.

"I quite understand," Dumbledore smiled. He lifted the basin, carried it over to his desk, placed it upon the polished top, and sat down in the chair behind it. He motioned for Harry and I to sit across from him. We crossed the room Harry sat down as I gazed at the basin with intrigue.

"What is it Professor?" I asked staring at the contents which were once again swirling.

"This? It is called a Pensieve, I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind."

"Yeah." I nodded knowing exactly what he meant.

"At these times, I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form."

"You mean . . . that stuff's your thoughts?" I asked mesmerized by the swirling silver. Harry said nothing looked on with excitement.

"Certainly let me show you." Dumbledore drew his wand out of the inside of his robes and placed the tip into his hair, near his temple. When he took the wand away, hair seemed to be clinging to it, but a closer examination revealed it to be the same silvery substance that filled the basin. Professor Dumbledore added this new thought to the basin, and i could see mine and Harry's faces now swirling around. Dumbledore placed his long hands on either side of the Pensieve and swirled it, like a gold prospector would pan for fragments of gold...mine and Harry's faces disappeared we're replaced by Severus'. Severus' memory spoke to the ceiling his voice echoing slightly.

"It's coming back . . . Karkaroff's too . . . stronger and clearer than ever..."

"A connection I could have made without assistance, but never mind." Dumbledore sighed looking up from the Pensieve. Harry was staring at Severus' face in the Pensieve while Dumbledore addressed us. "I was using the Pensieve when Mr. Fudge arrived for our meeting and put it away rather hastily. Undoubtedly I did not fasten the cabinet door properly. Naturally, it would have attracted your attention."

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled but professor Dumbledore shook his head.

"Curiosity is not a sin, but we should exercise caution with our curiosity. . . yes, indeed ..." This seemed to prompt something in the old man's mind and he prodded at the memories with the tip of his wand. Instantly, a figure rose out of it, a plump, scowling girl of about sixteen, who began to revolve slowly, with her feet still in the basin. She took no notice our company what so ever. When she spoke, her voice echoed as Severus' had done, as though it were coming from the depths of the stone basin. "He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I'd seen him kissing Florence behind the greenhouses last Thursday. . . ."

"But why. Bertha, Why did you have to follow him in the first place?" Dumbledore sadly asked the girl.

"Bertha?" Harry repeated "Is that - was that Bertha Jorkins?"

"Yes," Professor Dumbledore said as he prodded the thoughts in the basin again; Bertha sank back into them, and they became silvery and opaque once more. "That was Bertha as I remember her at school. So, Harry, before you got lost in my thoughts, you wanted to tell me something."

"Yes, Pofessor - I was in Divination just now, and - er - I fell asleep." He hesitated as if he expected Dumbledore to reprimand him for this. Professor Dumbledore on the other hand only shrugged.

"Quite understandable. Continue."

"Well, I had a dream, a dream about Lord Voldemort. He was torturing Wormtail…you know who Wormtail-"

"I do know, please continue."

"Voldemort got a letter from an owl. He said something like, Wormtail's blunder had been repaired. He said someone was dead. Then he said, Wormtail wouldn't be fed to the snake - there was a snake beside his chair. He said - he said he'd be feeding me to it, instead. Then he did the Cruciatus Curse on Wormtail - and my scar hurt, it woke me up, it hurt so badly." Now I understood why Harry had been running to Dumbledore's office and why he had pulled me out of muggle Studies. Dumbledore merely looked at him.

"Er - that's all," said Harry.

"I see, I see. Now, has your scar hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?"

"No, I - how did you know it woke me up over the summer?" Harry questioned.

"You are not Sirius's only correspondent," Professor Dumbledore informed Harry.

"I have also been in contact with him ever since he left Hogwarts last year. It was I who suggested the mountainside cave as the safest place for him to stay."

"And you Alice? Has this ever happened to you?" _It was dark, a snake was winding its way down a path. The path leads to a small house in a small village. I've never been here before and I didn't recognize the village either. In the kitchen an old man starts tea. He's either a muggle or a squib because he is making tea without magic. Through the window we can see another house, with a light shining through. This old man must be some sort of a caretaker, he grabs his keys and we walk towards the second house. We walk upstairs in search of the light, all the while the old man mumbles something about meddlesome_ _kids. For the first time at the base of a set of stairs, I hear a familiar voice and it was not a voice I considered friendly._

_"Move me closer to the fire Wormtail." My heart pounds out of my chest at the sound of Voldemort's voice. Knowing that Peter Pettigrew has joined him is no comfort either. Still the old man continues forward, and so do I._

_"I did not mean to insult you my Lord, I had only meant that perhaps is we could do it without the children…"_

_"NO! The Children are everything! It cannot be done without them." From a crack in the door, the old caretaker and I can see the shadows of three figures. I do not recognize the voice of the third man when he speaks._

_"I will not disappoint you my lord." The same snake from before winds itself through the caretakers feet, into the next room. The tone of the three men change as Voldemort and the snake engage in a conversation in Parseltongue. They are too far away for me to understand but I catch words like "muggle" and "Death". My heart pounds faster as if it intends to give us away._

_"Nagini tells me that the Muggle caretaker is standing just outside the door!" Voldemort declared to his two followers. Step aside Wormtale so I can give our guest a proper greeting. AVADA KEDAVRA!" There is a blinding flash of green before I wake in a cold sweat. _

"Once this summer, I had a dream after the World Cup." I the recounted the dream to Harry and Professor Dumbledore. "After that I remember waking up sweating but I don't remember if my scar hurt or not." Professor Dumbledore got up and began walking up and down behind his desk. Every now and then, he placed his wand tip to his temple, removed another shining silver thought, and added it to the Pensieve. When he didn't say anything after several minutes Harry tried to get his attention.

"Professor?"

"My apologies," Dumbledore responded quietly.

"D'you - d'you know why my scar's hurting me?" Harry asked him.

Professor Dumbledore looked very intently at Harry for a moment, and then said, "I have a theory, no more than that. ... It is my belief that your scar hurts both when Lord Voldemort is near you, and when he is feeling a particularly strong surge of hatred."

"But. . . why?" Harry asked.

"Because you and he are connected by the curse that failed, that is no ordinary scar."

"But professor my scar didn't hurt during Muggle Studies, though I suppose it might have after my dream this summer."

"Perhaps being asleep strengthens the connection as well?" Our headmaster suggested as he pulled another strand of memory from his head.

"So you think . . . that dream . . . did it really happen?" Harry questioned.

"It is possible, I would say - probable. Harry - did you see Voldemort?"

"No. Just the back of his chair. But there wouldn't have been anything to see, would there? I mean, he hasn't got a body, has he? But. . . but then how could he have held the wand?"

"How indeed? How indeed . . ." Dumbledore muttered. The old man became lost in thought again and began to star absent-mindedly across the room.

"Professor," I hated to interrupt his important thoughts process but there was something I wanted to know, something I knew I could never ask Severus. "Do you think he, Voldemort is getting stronger?"

"Once again, Alice, I can only give you my suspicions." Professor Dumbledore sighed again. "The years of Voldemort's ascent to power, were marked with disappearances. Bertha Jorkins has vanished without a trace in the place where Voldemort was certainly known to be last. Mr. Crouch too has disappeared…within these very grounds. And there was a third disappearance, one which the Ministry, I regret to say, do not consider of any importance, for it concerns a Muggle. His name was Frank Bryce, he lived in the village where Voldemort's father grew up, and he has not been seen since last August. You see, I read the Muggle newspapers, unlike most of my Ministry friends. These disappearances seem to me to be linked. The Ministry disagrees - as you may have heard, while waiting outside my office." I nodded with understanding. A silence fell between us again for several minutes before Harry spoke.

"Professor?" he said again.

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore looked in Harry's direction but seemed to be looking right through him.

"Er . . . could I ask you about. . . that court thing we were in ... in the Pensieve?"

"You could, I attended it many times, but some trials come back to me more clearly than others ... particularly now.."

"You know - you know the trial you found Alice and me in? The one with Crouch's son? Well...were they talking about Neville's parents?" Professor Dumbledore gave Harry a very sharp look.

"Has Neville never told you why he has been brought up by his grandmother?" Harry and I both shook our heads. "Yes, they were talking about Neville's parents. His father, Frank, was an Auror just like Professor Moody. He and his wife were tortured for information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he lost his powers, as you heard."

"So they're dead?" I whispered.

"No, Dumbledore replied with a surprising hint of bitterness."They are insane. They are both in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I believe Neville visits them, with his grandmother, during the holidays They do not recognize him."

_Poor Neville!_ I thought to myself. "The Longbottoms were very popular. The attacks on them came after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone thought they were safe. Those attacks caused a wave of fury such as I have never known. The Ministry was under great pressure to catch those who had done it. Unfortunately, the Longbottoms' evidence was - given their condition - none too reliable."

"Then Mr. Crouch's son might not have been involved?" Harry questioned.

"As to that, I have no idea." Dumbledore replied.

"Er, Mr. Bagman…" Harry began again.

"Has never been accused of any Dark activity since." Professor Dumbledore assured him. Professor Dumbledore and I both knew what Harry was going to ask next. I watched the slow swirling of the pensieve and hoped my brother hand more sense than to voice his next question. Though he hesitated for a second Harry did open his mouth.

"And...er..."

"Nor has Professor Snape." Dumbledore replied shortly.

"What made you think he'd really stopped supporting Voldemort, Professor?" Harry asked. I leaned forward slightly wondering what Professor Dumbledore would tell Harry. Our headmaster gazed at him for a moment as if trying to decide the same thing.

"That, Harry, is a matter between Professor Snape and myself."

"Come on Harry, we've got to get back to class."

"Right yeah." Harry rose to his feet but I could tell he was still thinking about Severus.

"Harry," Professor Dumbledore said as we neared the door. "Please do not speak about Neville's parents to anybody else. He has the right to let people know, when he is ready."

"Yes, Professor." Harry said crossing the room the rest of the way."

"And Alice..." I glanced back over my shoulder. "Good luck with the third task."

"Thank you Professor."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48 Practice Makes Perfect  
**  
Once classes were done for the day Harry, Hermione, Ron, Emily and I made our way down to the lake where we wouldn't be overheard. "Dumbledore thinks Voldemort is getting stronger again as well?" Emily asked while we were seated under a large oak tree.

"Seems like it." I said.

"And he trusts Snape?" Ron pryed. "He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?"

"For some reason." Harry grumbled.

"Why are you to so convinced Snape is a terrible person? Every year when something's up he's the first one you blame. Give it a rest."

"I will, when I'm convinced he's not a death eater anymore." Harry answered as I that completly settled the matter.

"Rita Skeeter!" Hermione whispered as if that would solve everything. Ron gave her an exasperated look.

"How can you be worrying about her now?"

"I'm not worrying about her," Hermione answered. "I'm just thinking...remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl. ' This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember...'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home."

"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?" I pointed out, Hermione only shrugged.

"And Fudge reckons Madame Maxime attacked Crouch?" Ron asked again.

"Yeah," Harry told him. "but he's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage.

"We never thought of her, did we?" Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it-" Ron began to say but Hermione cut across him.

"Of course she doesn't! Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his mother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant. Who needs that sort of prejudice? I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling the truth."

"I can see your point Hermione. I mean look at Remus, he was probably one of the best teachers we ever had at Hogwarts and he quite once everyone found out he was a werewolf. It's not right to judge people based on what they are or were, you have to judge them but their actions now."

"This is about Snape isn't it?" Ron asked.

"Definitely." Harry replied before I had a chance to.

"I give up on the pair of you." I said rolling my eyes. "Right well if we're done questioning Dumbledore's judgement, I'm off to find Fred and George. They might be able to help me get ready for the triwizard tournament that everyone expects me to win." I stood up from my seat under the tree and headed off to the Entrance Hall. I was hoping to catch Fred and George on their way down to dinner. I saw the twins bouncing down the steps laughing about something. I put my foot out at the bottom of the steps So that Fred would trip. He topped to the ground and George followed after tripping on his brother. After making contact with the stone floor, Fred whipped his head around and started to shout.

"Alright which one of you first years thought it would be a good idea to trip us..."

"Who says it was a first year?" I asked standing over the twins.

"Oh Alice, it's you!" George laughed as he rose to his feet.

"Lucky thing too, was about to reach for my wand and hex the pants off you." Fred said with a smile. I planted a kiss on Fred's forehead before helping him to his feet.

"I need some help boys."

"Anything for our favorite Triwizard Champion!" George agreed instantly.

"You haven't even heard what I wanted to..."

"Doesn't matter, we'll do it." Fred jumped in.

"The last task is a maze." I dropped my voice down low so that only Fred and George could hear. "We have to fight our way to the center. I wanted to ask if either or both of you would be willing to teach me some spells? I mean I don't know for sure how far along Krum and Fleur are in school, but Cedric's a sixth year like you guys so he'll know tons more spells than me. I'm sure the judges didn't build the task around my fourth year skills. Well do you think you could take time out of your busy schedules to help me out?"

"Definitely." They answered in unison.

"Ok, how's next Friday night sound?" I asked.

"How about tonight?" George suggested.

"Meet in the Entrance Hall after Filtch's gone to bed." I instructed them before I headed into the Great Hall. After dinner I went with Emily to our common room. We worked on our homework for a few hours before Emily became tired and went to bed. I sat up in the common room watching the flames of the fire flicker back and forth. Now that I was alone I began to the about Severus. _Had he been put on trial the way Karkaroff and Mr. Crouch's son had? Or had Professor Dumbledore spared him that fate? What did actually convince Dumbledore that Severus was not a Death Eater? And out of everyone, why had he chosen Severus to be his number one spy?_ I tried to shake it all from my head because I knew I could stare at those flames for days and never have the answers to my questions. Once enough time had passed I headed out of the dungeons and stood in the Entrance Hall. I waited several minutes before wondering if Fred and George had decided not to show. I was relieved when I saw the pair of redheads coming down the stairs. I raced up the steps to meet them.

"So George and I were thinking,"

"And we wondered if you've found a place to practice?"

"I hadn't thought of that." I said thinking. "Well we can just use one of the abandoned classrooms right?"

"Won't work." Fred shook his head.

"A lot of spells, require a target, and thought Fred and I are confident in your ability to not kill us, you are still just a fourth year and well..."

"If we have the choice we'd rather not be on the receiving end of a jinx gone bad."

"No I understand. I'm sorry I should have thought of something like that. Maybe we can meet sometime next week after I've found a place?"

"Now what makes you think we haven't got a place?" George smiled.

"Well because you said..."

"We only asked if you had a place in mine." Fred grinned. "Remember that room I took you to before, on the seventh floor?"

"The one with the flowers and candles? How are flowers and candles..."

"Its called the _Room of Requirement_." George interrupted me. "It's a room that changes for the user's needs. If we ask it to, it'll have everything you need to learn whatever spells, jinxes and charms you heart desires!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" I said taking off at a run. Fred and George's idea to use the Room of Requirement turned out to be a brilliant one. The entire room was padded for obvious reasons, there were also various objects from transfiguration and several items that the twins were able to easily enchant to become moving targets.

After that first time I met with Fred and George almost nightly over the next few weeks so that I would be properly prepared for anything the tournament maze could throw at me. I was starting to think I might actually beat the other champions to the center of the maze.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49 Before the Final Task**

The morning of the final task finally arrived and everyone seemed to be in great spirits. The Slytherin House in particular seemed extremely Malfoy sat several seats away from me snickering at something in The Daily Prophet.

"What's Malfoy so happy about?" I sneered as I sat down next to Emily.

"I'm guessing you haven't read the paper this morning?" She questioned before handing me her copy of the morning paper. I really should have stopped after reading the headline, I was getting so sick of this Skeeter Woman, no wonder Hermione was so determined to do her in.

**_POTTER TWINS DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS: The Children who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior. Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him and his sister). Your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying. It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potters brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion._**

_**"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention." The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about both Potters that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.**_

_**"Alice Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought she was behind them after they saw her lose his temper at a dueling club. It was all hushed up, though. But they've both made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think they'll do anything for a bit of power." Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence." Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a girl such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Miss Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in her desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.**_

"What a load of rubbish." I crumpled up the paper and tossed it down the table at Malfoy. "Grow up Malfoy!" I called before storming out of Great Hall. There was a swirl of black marching behind me I rolled rolled my eyes at Severus knowing there was going to be a lecture about my "Inappropriate behavior at the breakfast table" coming. Before he could begin disciplining me I started off with an apology.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have thrown the paper at him, and yes I realize how childish I'm being, and I know I shouldn't storm out of breakfast like a child but..."

"Miss Potter I was not going to address your deplorable table manners. I simply wish to inform you that the champions are to meet in the chamber off the hall after Breakfast."

"But Professor the task is not until tonight!" I whined.

"I'm aware of that Miss Potter. However the champion's families are invited the watch the final task, this is a chance for you to greet them."

"Oh I wasn't aware that families were invited to watch the final task. I suppose I ought to go back in there?"

"I suppose you ought to." He held the door open and stared intently at the inside of the Great Hall.

"I'm going, I'm going." I told him reluctantly. Back inside the Great Hall I walked the the Gryffindor table and wedged myself between Ron and Harry.

"Ah Alice, I was sitting there." Harry grumbled as I shoved him aside.

"And now you're not." I moodily replied stealing a piece of his toast.

"What's gotten into you?" Ron asked as he studied me.

"Oh Alice you didn't read the paper this morning did you?" Hermione said sympathetically.

"What's wrong with the paper?" Harry reached across the table and picked up Hermione's copy of The Daily Prophet. "How does she keep finding the stuff out?"

"I've had an idea," Hermione said gazing into space. "I think I know...because then no one would be able to see...even Moody...and she'd have been able to get onto the window ledge...but she's not allowed...she's definitely not allowed...I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library-just to make sure!" With that, Hermione seized her school bag and dashed out of the Great Hall.

"Oi!" Ron called after her. "We've got our History of Magic exam in ten minutes! She must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk missing the start of an exam."

"If I know Hermione, she'll make it back in time for the exam and still unearth whatever that Skeeter woman is up to." I said. "Speaking of which shouldn't you to be off the your exam?"

"No point in rushing." Ron shrugged, "We know we're going to fail."

"Probably doesn't help to be late though, let's go." Harry stood and tugged at Ron's elbow. Ron stared longingly at his breakfast plate for several seconds before begrudgingly following Harry to their History of Magic exam. With Harry and Ron I decided it was time for me to make my way over to the chamber where the champions families would be waiting. There was a spring of hope in my step as I began to wonder if Remus would be waiting inside the chamber with the other families. Opening the door slowly I couldn't help be smile as my favorite uncle smiled back at the door expectantly.

"Remus!" I exclaimed jumping into his arms. "I'm so glad to see you hear!"

"You didn't think I'd miss the chance to see you perform in the last task did you? I'm so proud of how well you done so far." He glanced over his shoulder briefly to make sure no one else was listening in on us before dropping his voice. "Severus and I are both very proud of you." Raising his voice back up to a normal level Remus spoke again. "There are a couple more people hear to support you tonight." He stepped aside and I could see Mrs. Weasley and Bill Weasley seated against a wall waiting to say hello.

"Surprise!" Mrs. Weasley burst as ran over embracing me.

"Wow um, thanks for coming , both of you!"

"Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off." Bill told me. "He said you were incredible against the Horntail."

"I'm sure he exaggerated just a bit." I answered awkwardly.

"Well it sure feels great to be back here!" Bill said stretching his arms over his head. "Haven't seen this place for five years. Is that picture of the mad night still around? Sir Cadogan?"

"Oh yeah, Harry mentioned him to me once." I told him.

"And the Fat Lady?" Bill questioned.

"She was here in my time." Mrs. Weasley chirped. "She gave me such a telling off one night when I got back to the dormitory at four in the morning..."

"What were you doing out of your dormitory at four in the morning?" Bill asked his mother. Mrs. Weasley grinned.

"Your father and I had been for a nighttime stroll. He got caught by Apollyon Pringle, he was the caretaker in those father's still got the marks."

"Alice what do you say we take Bill and Molly on a tour of the castle?"

"Yeah that sounds like a great idea Remus. Follow me everyone!" I waved at Cedric and his dad as we passed them on our way out. Mr. Diggory seemed put off about something and came marching over to me.

"There you are! Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now that Cedric's caught up on points are you?"

"I'm sorry what?" I looked up at Cedric.

"Ignore him." Cedric said back to me. "He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament, you know when she made out you were the only Hogwarts Champion."

"Didn't bother to correct her, though, did she?" Mr. Diggory said crossly. "Still you'll show her Ced."

"Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble Amos!" Mrs. Weasley quickly came to my defense. "I would have thought you'd know that, working for the Ministry." Mr. Diggory didn't say anything more on the subject and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Remus and I left to walk the castle.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50 The Final Task**

At dinner Remus, Bill, Mrs. Weasley, Emily and I joined Ron Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. The dinner consisted of many three more courses than usual and much to Remus and Mrs. Weasley's chagrin I hardly ate anything. Finally Dumbledore stood at the staff table and addressed the Great Hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minute's time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

"Well, that's my cue, see you all after the task!" Choruses of "good luck" followed me as I headed out of the Great Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor. We walked onto the Quidditch field

which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge rall all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of us which could only be the entrance to the vast maze. Just as Professor Dumbledore had said the stands began to fill roughly five minutes later. The air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now and the first stars of the night were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came over to us. Each one of them was wearing large red luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid who had his on the front of his moleskin vest.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze." Professor McGonagall informed us. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?" The four of us nodded with understanding.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Bagman addressed the crowd. "The third and final task of Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each, Mr. Cedric Diggory and Miss Allison Potter, both Hogwarts School! In second place, with eight points, Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute! And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy! So, on my whistle, Allison and Cedric! Three...Two...One..." There was a short whistle blast and Cedric and I raced forward into the maze. I couldn't have made it more that fifty feet into the maze before I heard Mr. Crouch give a second blast of the whistle, meaning Krum had entered the maze. Lighting the tip of my wand, I picked up the pace and continued to move further into the maze. I turned right and hurried further into the maze. I took a left, but that path led to a dead end. I continued on to a second fork in the road and began to feel uneasy about the lack of obstacles in my path so far. There was a sudden hurried movement behind me, I whipped myself around wand in hand to find Cedric stumbling out of another path I hadn't noticed. He looked severely shaken and the right sleeve of his robe was smoking.

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" He hissed "they're enormous, I only just got away!" he shook his head and raced along to another path. Carefully avoiding the path that Cedric had just come from, as well as the path he had just taken, I hurried along. As I raced around the next corner I reached my first obstacle. Standing twelve feet tall, with matted fur and snarling teeth, it was a werewolf. My heart raced as I took in the sight of it. Of all the creatures I had encountered at Hogwarts Remus' werewolf form had been the thing that terrified me the most. I was incredibly surprised that Professor Dumbledore would allow a werewolf to be let loose in the maze. The werewolf continued to snarl and growl but it hadn't caught sight of me yet. Using the fact that the werewolf hadn't taken notice of me I took a deep breath and tried to plan my next move. Now that I had a moment to think I glanced up at the sky and was relieved when I realized it was not a full moon._ I should have known better_. I thought to myself Remus would never come to Hogwarts and risk the safety of hundreds of people when it was a full moon out. Standing in front of me in the maze was not a werewolf, but a boggart disguised as a werewolf.

"Riddikukus!" I cried out, banishing the Boggard to a wisp of smoke.I continued through the maze turning left, right, left again. There was a golden mist in the air of the path ahead. I had no idea of knowing what the golden mist was. While I debated going forward or doubling back I hear a silence shattering scream. It was Fleur I was sure of it. I took a deep breath and ran through the mist. The world turn upside down and I was hanging from the ground, my red hair hanging down covering my face. Well at least I'm not dead. I huffed trying to blow the hair from my face. It felt as if my feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Below me there was nothing but dark open sky. None of the spells I practiced with Fred and George would have been of help in that situation so I had to resort, once again, to thinking of a backup plan. Closing my eyes I tried the first thing I thought of I tugged my right foot away from the grassy ceiling and was relieved when the world righted itself. I fell to my knees, but at least I wasn't hanging from the ceiling anymore. Running forward I came to a junction where two paths met. I had no idea of knowing which direction Fleur had gone from here.I chose the path to the right but continued thinking about Fleur. There were no sign of red sparks so either so had gotten herself out of trouble or she was in such trouble that she couldn't reach her wand. One champion down. A sick feeling rose in me as I realized what I had gained from her misfortune.

The cup was somewhere close by, somehow I knew that. I ran into nothing but dead ends for several minutes, then I rounded a corner to find myself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"Impedimenta!" I bellowed. I had been lucky enough to hit the Skrewt on its fleshy shell-less underside. The Blast-Ended Skrewt remain frozen in place and I continued along the path. This was a new path I hadn't been down yet, but I heard something in the distance that caused me to stop dead.

"What are you doing?" Cedric yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Krum spoke next but only one word.

"Crucio." The air was suddenly full of Cedric's yells. Horrified I blazed through my path trying to find a way to Cedric. When one didn't appear, I decided to make one. Blasting a hole through the hedges I climbed through. The scene I walked in upon was one of the most horrifying things I had ever seen. Cedric was jerking and twitching on the ground, Viktor was standing over him. I pointed my wand at Krum and without hesitation I stunned him.

"Stupefy!" The spell hit Krum in the back, he fell forward and lay motionless in the grass. I dashed to Cedric's side, I was relieved to see that he had stopped twitching and was lying on the ground panting.

"Are you alright?" I asked placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Cedric breathed. "Yeah...I don't believe it...he crept up behind me...I heard him, I turned around, and he...he had his wand on me." Cedric got up but he was still shaking.

"I can't believe this. I thought Krum was alright." I started down at Krum.

"So did I." Cedric added bitterly.

"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?"

"Yeah, though I didn't know it was her. Thought it might have been you. You don't think Krum got her too?"

"Honestly, I don't know." I shook my head.

"Should we leave him here?"

"No." I told him firmly. "We should send up red sparks, someone'll come and collect him, otherwise he'll probably be eaten by a Skrewt."

"He'd deserve it." but all the same, Cedric raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.

"Well I s'pose we'd better go on..."

"Uh, yeah." We went our separate ways, it was all down to Cedric and I now. Even though time was ticking I couldn't help but think about Krum. The use of an unforgivable curse on a human being meant a life term in Azkaban. I continued on my path only coming across a dead end once in awhile. The darkness had begun to increase leading me to believe I was nearing the cup. At the end of a long straight path I crossed paths with a sphinx. It had the body of a lion with large clawed paws and a long yellowish tail but the head of a woman. She turned her long almond-shaped eyes in my direction and spoke.

"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."

"So you'll move?" I grumbled ready to be finished with the horrid maze.

"No, not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess- I let you pass. Answer wrongly- I attack. Remain silent I will let you walk away from me unscathed."

"Ok, let me hear the riddle." The sphinx sat down in the very middle of the path and spoke.

_"first think of the person who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies._

Next, tell me what's always last thing to mend, The middle of the middle or end of the end?

_And finally give me the sound often heard during searching for a hard-to-find word._

_Now string them together and answer me this, which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_

"A person who lives in disguise, well that's a spy of course...What's always last thing to mend?...I've got no idea about that bit...end I suppose...The sound often heard would be er...Spy-er, Spy-er... A creature I wouldn't want to kiss...The answer's a spider." I tond the Sphinx quite proud of myself. The sphinx smiled broadly stretched her front legs and moved aside, allowing me to pass. After a hundred feet or so I could see the Triwizard Cup gleaming. I broke into a run putting all my might into reaching the cup. A dark figured hurtled forward from another path, Cedric had arrived and he was closer to the cup than I. But something was moving in a hedge to Cedric's left. I called out for him, but Cedric was moving too fast to stop, but he was able to turn in time to stop himself from colliding into the enormous figure. A gigantic spider stepped out of the hedges. I fell backwards tripping on a root, this drew the spiders attention to me. It moved surprisingly quick for such a large figure. The spider was bearing down on me, and was able to snap at my leg with it's razor-sharp the pain in my leg I made several attempts to stun the spider, but was only successful once Cedric joined in.

"Stupefy!" We called out nearly in unison. The spider keeled over sideways,flattening a nearby hedge.

"Allison!" Cedric shouted. "You alright, did it fall on you?"

"No!" I called back. I examined my leg the spider had gotten me my robes were torn where it had snapped at me, I was losing blood fast. I tried to get up , but my leg was shaking badly. Pulling myself up, I leaned against a hedge, gasping for breath, and looked around. Cedric was standing only four feet from the Triwizard Cup.

"Take it then!" I bellowed. "Go on talk it, you're there!" But Cedric didn't move, he just stood there looking at me. Then he turned to stare at the cup with a longing expression.

"You take it!" He called back. "You should win, you saved my neck in here."

"That's not how it's suppose to work!" I hollard back. "The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg." Cedric took a few paces in my direction, away from the cup, shaking his head.

"No." he said.

"Stop being noble, just take it, then we can get out of here!" I yelled.

"You told me about the Dragons. I would've gone down in the first task if you hadn't told me what was coming."

"I had help on that too, and you helped me with the egg. We're even."

"I had help on the egg in the first place." Cedric said.

"We're still even."

"You should've got more points on the second task. You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should've done that."

"I was the only one thick enough to take that song seriously! Just take the cup!"

"No." he repeated. Cedric Stood on the side of me, leaning on the hedge, his arms folded in defiance. _Meddling Hufflepuffs and their loyalty._ I was about to tell Cedric off for being so stubborn when I thought of a solution that would make us both happy.

"Both of us." I said.

"What?"

"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it." Cedric started at me for a moment before unfolding his arms.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. We've helped each other out haven't we? We both got here, Let's just take it together."

"You're on, come here." Cedric grabbed my arm and pulled it over his shoulder. He helped me limp over to where the cup stood. When we reached it we each stretched out a hand for one of the cups gleaming handles."On three then?" I nodded.

"One."

"Two."

"Three"


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51 **

Once Cedric and I grasped the handle, I felt a jerking sensation in my midsection. The only time I'd felt that familiar sensation was during the summer when we had used the portkey to get to the world cup. I briefly considered letting go of the Triwizard Cup, but I had no idea what the consequences of that would be. All I could do was grip onto the cup and pray to Merlin that Cedric and I would be transported somewhere safe. After several moments of spinning my feet slammed to the ground before my injured leg gave way and I fell forward. I let go of the cup and glanced upward at Cedric who tossed the Triwizard Cup to the side and glanced around. We were in a dark overgrown graveyard, completely off the Hogwarts grounds. To our right we could see the outline of a small church visible just beyond some trees. A hill rose above us to the left, standing on top of the hill was a slightly visible old house.

"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkety?" Cedric asked me.

"No." I said honestly. "Is this suppose to be part of the task?"

"I dunno, wands out, d'you reckon?"

"Definitely." We pulled out our wands and studied our surroundings more carefully.

"Someone's Coming." Cedric whispered to me. I squinted through the darkness as a figure drew near us, walking steadily between the graves. "Looks like they're carrying something." The way the figure's arms were posed, it did indeed look like they were carrying something. Whoever it was, they were short and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up to hide their face. As they came closer I could see they were carrying some sort of bundle possibly a baby. I gave Cedric a sideways glance when the figured stopped beside a marble headstone only six feet from us. Cedric and I looked at the short figure and without warning the lightning bolt shaped scar on my forehead exploded with pain. Without thinking I let my wand slip out of my hand, knees buckling I sank to the ground.

Somewhere above my head a high cold voice said "Kill the spare." Before I could react there was a swishing noise and a second voice that called out;

"Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed through the air and something heavy fell to the ground beside me. The pain in my scar increased rapidly before weakening to almost nothing. Shaking in fear I look over to see what had fallen next to me. Cedric was lying beside me, dead. I dared to look Cedric in the face, his open gray eyes blank and expressionless, his mouth half open. I felt myself being pulled to my feet. The short man in the cloak had put down his buddle and lit his wand. I was being dragged by the hood of my robes toward a marble headstone. I was just able to make out the name on the stone before I was slammed against it. _Tom Riddle._ The cloaked man was now using his wand to tie me to the headstone. I wouldn't go down without a fight though, still wandless myself I struggled against the binding. I hand hit me across face, and hand that had a finger missing. That was when I realized who it was under the hood.

"Peter Pettigrew." I growled through my teeth. I was certain he had heard me but the man ignored me as his trembling hands checked the tightness of the cords. Once Wormtail, it was somehow easier to think of him that way, had checked that I was bound tightly to the headstone Wormtail produced a black material from the inside of his cloak and roughly stuffed it in my mouth. Paralyzed with fear and unable to speak regardless, I could only watch as Wormtail disappeared. Cedric's body was laying some twenty feet away my wand on the ground at Cedric's feet.

* * *

_Harry_

My sister, Emily, Remus, Mrs. Weasley and Ron's brother Bill joined Hermione, Ron and I at the Gryffindor table the night of the final task. Alice hardly ate anything but she still seemed much less nervous about the final task than she had for the previous two. The meal seemed to go on forever before Professor Dumbledore stood at the staff table and addressed the Great Hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minute's time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

"Well that's my cue, see you all after the task!" I couldn't read the look on Alice's face as we wished her luck before she followed the other champions out of the Great Hall. Roughly five minutes later the plates and goblets were cleared and Professor Dumbledore stood again. "I think we've given our champions enough time to arrive. The Tournament Judges will leave the Great Hall first, all other guests and students will follow us." He said before leading Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime out of the Great Hall.

"Let's go before all the good seats are taken!" Bill Weasley smiled. Outside the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet and hundreds of students filed into their seats. We waited eagerly for Mr. Bagman to begin the task. After several long moments he finally addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He paused making sure he had gathered the audiences attention." The third and final task of Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each, Mr. Cedric Diggory and Miss Allison Potter, both Hogwarts School!" Nearly everyone from Hogwarts erupted in a proud cheer, how many were hoping of my sister's victory I didn't know. "In second place, with eight points, Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" A slightly smaller cheer erupted from the students visiting from Durmstrang. "And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy!" This time a shout emitted not only from the students of Beauxbatons but from several males spread throughout the crowd. "So, on my whistle, Allison and Cedric! Three...Two...One..." There was a short whistle blast and Alice and Cedric raced forward into the maze. It didn't take long for Krum and Fleur to join them inside but Alice wasn't wasting time either. She didn't hear near as many turn-arounds or dead ends as Fleur had. Her fist obstacle happened when she raced around a corner and nearly ran into a werewolf. Alice honestly looked terrified and I didn't blame her werewolves aren't known for being cuddly and cute. She quickly realized it was a boggart before banishing the werewolf to nothing but smoke. There was a scream somewhere in the maze, but my eyes were focused on my sister. She hand managed to get herself stuck on some sort of invisible ceiling but again she escaped easily. Several minutes later Alice came across Krum with his wand turned on Diggory. _That has to be against the rules._ But when no one called off the task or disqualified Krum it was clear that anything goes inside the maze. Cedric and Alice quickly separated paths after she rescued him from Krum.

"Er, Hermione would you mind letting me pass by you?" Hemione, who had been completely absorbed with watching Krum attack Cedric, looked up at me confused.

"Right, everything ok Harry?" She asked stepped out of the aisle so I could pass her.

"Yeah I'm just heading off to the toilet." For no particular reason I felt compelled to go to the bathroom, only once I got in there I couldn't remember why I'd wanted to go there in to first place. Walking back to the stands I heard a gruff voice whisper my name.

"_Potter!"_ I turned to see Professor Moody standing there, he had removed the red star from his hat and was staring at me. "Wouldn't want to miss your sister's big night would you?" He handed me a pair omnioculars of before placing the red star back on his head. Without time to react I felt a jerking section on my midsection, the omnioculars were a portkey.


	52. Chapter 52

_Alice_

It didn't take long for Wormtail to come limping back dragging someone else along with him. I quickly realized that someone else was Harry who had obviously been transported here through Portkey as well I even went as far as to guess he was easily disarmed after Wormtail took him by surprise. Harry was slammed against the same headstone I was already tied to. Not having any previous injuries my brother was doing a much better job at fighting off our captor. Harry's wandlessness was probably the only reason Wormtail had been able to tie Harry up next to me. Bound and gagged as we were; Harry and I had no hope of communicating with each other. Wormtail disappeared for a second time. There was a noise at our feet as a gigantic snake slithered through the grass, circling the headstone where we were trapped. Wormtail's fast wheezy breathing grew louder as he approached, pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of the grave. It was full of some sort of liquid and was much larger than any cauldron I had ever seen Severus work with.

The thing inside the bundle of robes on the ground was stirring persistently causing pain to shoot through my head again. The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movements beneath the robes became more agitated. The second voice from before Harry arrived called into the darkness.

"Hurry!" The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now.

"It is ready. Master." Wormtail finally spoke.

"Now ..." said the cold voice. Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them. I tried to yell but the wad of material blocked my cry. The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that I've never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes. The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, and there was a look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak pale face. For one moment, Harry and I saw the evil flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.

The pain of my scar was bringing me to the verge of tears as I watched the seen in horror. Harry, fighting a similar battle could only give me a sympathetic and pained look. Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook as he spoke to the night air.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" The surface of the grave at my feet cracked. I watched horrified as a collection of fine dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surfaced water broke and hissed sending sparks in all directions before turning a poisonous looking blue. Wormtail, now whimpering produced a think silver dagger from his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.

"Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master." He stretched his right hand out in front of him, the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward. Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened; he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night. I on the other hand was too shocked to look away. After carelessly hacking off his hand Wormtail plopped it into the cauldron as if it were just another potion ingredient. The potion turned a burning red as he gasped and moaned in agony. Harry's eyes still closed, he didn't see Wormtail approaching us with the dagger. Only when he felt me struggling against him did Harry open his eyes.

"B-blood of the enemy…forcibly taken…you will…resurrect your foe." Despite our struggling there was nothing we could do, the ropes biding us were too tight. I could only watch as the point of the blade penetrated Harry's cheek and Wormtail held a glass vial to Harry's cheek so that a bit of blood fell into it. The same steps were repeated on me and I clamped my jaw down to prevent myself from releasing another smothered scream. Wormtail staggered back to the cauldron and poured out blood inside. The color of the potion instantly changed to a blinding white. Now that the potion was completed wormtail dropped to his knees and cradled his bleeding arm, gasping and sobbing. The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness.

Then suddenly the sparks shooting from the cauldron were extinguished, a surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead. Through the mist in front of me I could just make out the dark outline of a skeletally thin man, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.

"Robe me," The voice said from behind the steam. Still sobbing and cradling his mutilated arm Wormtail scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground. Once robed the thin man stepped out of the cauldron staring at harry and I. Whiter than a skull with wide livid red eyes and a nose flat as a snake's…Lord Voldemort had risen again.

Voldemort looked away from us and began to examine his own body. Hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cats, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers. He took not the slightest notice of Wormtail, who lay twitching and bleeding on the ground, nor of the great snake, which had slithered back into sight and was circling the headstone again. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand. He caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at Wormtail, who was lifted off the ground and thrown against the headstone beside harry and I. We watched as he fell to the foot of it and lay there, crumpled up and crying. Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes back to us laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.

"My Lord . . ." Wormtail choked, "my Lord . . . you promised . . . you did promise ..."

"Hold out your arm," Voldemort said lazily.

"Oh Master . . . thank you, Master ..." Wormtail extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again.

"The other arm, Wormtail."

"Master, please . . .please ..." he begged. Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, Wormtail's Dark Mark tattoo barely visible in the firelight. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollable weeping.

"It is back," he said softly, "they will all have noticed it...and now, we shall see…now we shall know…" Voldemort pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Wormtail's arm. This act caused a second wave of pain to roll through my head. Wormtail let out a fresh howl of agony and Voldemort removed his fingers. With a look of cruel satisfaction on his face Voldemort straighted up and stared around the dark graveyard.

"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?" He whipped his hideous face in the direction of Harry and I once more.

"Harry and Allison Potter, you stand upon the remains of my late father." He hissed. "A muggle and a fool…very like your dear mother, but they both had their uses did they not? Your mother died to defend you as children…and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proven himself in death? You see that house upon the hillside, Potters? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was…He didn't like magic, my father. He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage…but I vowed to find him…I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name…Tom Riddle…" Voldemort began to pace his eyes darting from grave to grave. "Listen to me, reliving family history…why, I am growing quite sentimental… But look, children! My true family returns. . . ."

The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. In every shadowy space wizards were Apparating. All of them were hooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward…slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them. Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort and kissed the hem of his black robes.

"Master…Master. " he murmured.

The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle s grave, Harry, myself, Voldemort, and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people. Voldemort, however, did not seem to expect more. He looked around at the hooded faces.

"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years…thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday, we are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?" He put back his terrible face and sniffed, his slit-like nostrils widening.

"I smell guilt; there is a stench or guilt upon the air."

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearances and I ask myself…why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?" No one spoke. No one moved."And I answer myself, they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment…and then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort…perhaps they now pay allegiance to another…perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?" At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them. "It is a disappointment to me ...I confess myself disappointed…" One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.

"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!" Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand.

"Crucio!" A beat passed and the only sound was that of the Death Eater on the ground shrieking. Voldemort lowered his wand, the tortured Death Eater lay flat on the ground gasping.

"Get up, Avery," Voldemort commanded. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years…I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?" He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.

"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," Wormtail moaned. "please. Masterr…please…"

"Yet you helped return me to my body, Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me ... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers..." Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a human hand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself upon Wormtails bleeding wrist. Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to his arm, as though he were wearing a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling, picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into powder.

"My Lord," he whispered. "Master…it is beautiful…thank you...thank you…" He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail," said Voldemort.

"No, my Lord…never, my Lord…" Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful new hand, his face still shining with tears. Voldemort now approached the man on Wormtail's right.

"Lucius, my slippery friend," he whispered, halting before him. "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius…Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay…but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"

"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert," Draco's father answered from beneath his hood. "Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me -"

"And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer? Yes, I know all about that, Lucius…You have disappointed me…I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, my Lord, of course…You are merciful, thank you…" Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space - large enough for two people that separated Malfoy and the next man.

"The Lestranges should stand here, but they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me…When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us…they are our natural allies…we will recall the banished giants…I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear…" He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them.

"Macnair…destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. Lord Voldemort will provide." _Macnair? The executioner from Buckbeak's trial? No wonder Severus hadn't wanted me to get involved in…_Severus. If Voldemort was really calling back all of his Death Eaters Severus would have to be there among them. For the first time since I had grasped the Portkey a small bit of hope began to shine inside me.

"Thank you, Master, thank you." Was all the executioner could say.

"And here, we have Crabbe, you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?" They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.

"Yes, Master ..."

"We will, Master..."

"The same goes for you, Nott," said Voldemort quietly as he walked past a stooped figure in Mr. Goyles shadow.

"My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful -"

"That will do," said Voldemort. He had reached the largest gap of all, and he stood surveying it with his blank, red eyes, as though he could see people standing there.

"And here we have six missing Death Eaters …three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return ... he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever….he will be killed, of course…and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service. He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friends arrived here tonight…" _At Hogwarts? He must mean Karkaroff or someone else Severus would never…_But as logical as I was being with myself I could just hear the very suspicion forming in Harry's brain. I tried to give my idiot brother a pointed look but unfortunately all that did was draw myself and my brother to the attention of the circle.

"Yes," Voldemort grinned through a lipless mouth, "Allison and Harry Potter have kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guests of honor." There was silence and then Lucius Malfoy spoke again.

"Master, we crave to know, we beg you to tell us, how you have achieved this? This miracle, how you managed to return to us?"

"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius, and it begins - and ends - with my young friends here." He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the three of us.

"You know, of course, that they have called these children my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon us. "You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill them. Their mother died in the attempt to save him and unwittingly provided them with a protection I admit I had not foreseen. I could not touch them." Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek.

"Their mother left upon them the traces of her sacrifice. This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter. I can touch him now." Harry squirmed, obviously in pain until Voldemort released his finger from Harry's forehead. I prayed, futility, that I would be spared the same pain. Voldemort swooped to the other side of the headstone grabbed my face forcing me to stare into his hateful red eyes. I tried my best not to squirm under the pain, with little success. Voldemort laughted before releasing me/

"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah…pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost…but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know... I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked ... for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself... for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand…I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist. I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited. Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me, one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body, but I waited in vain. ...Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference - but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long. Then four years ago the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard -young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of, for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school. He was easy to bend to my will, he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter and Allison Potter."

"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left as weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued. "I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers. Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour, I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me." One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice.

"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had long been rumored I was hiding, helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided, where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow that possessed them. But his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry one night, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishly stopped at an inn for some food and who should he meet there, but one Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic. Now see the way that fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the end of Wormtail, and of my last hope for regeneration. But Wormtail, displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him, convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her, he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be a gift beyond my wildest dreams. For with a little persuasion she became a veritable mine of information. She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. She had now served her purpose. I could not possess her. I disposed of her." Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless.

"Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth ... a spell or two of my own invention ... a little help from my dear Nagini," Voldemorts red eyes fell upon the continually circling snake, "a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided ... I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel. There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew that Dumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I was willing to embrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sights lower. I would settle for my old body back again, and my old strength. I knew that to achieve this - it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant. My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where he was buried. But the blood of a foe ... Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me as so many of them still do. But I knew the ones I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry and Allison Potter's blood. I wanted the blood of the ones who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago…for the lingering protection their mother once gave them would then reside in my veins too.

But how to get at the Potters? For they have been better protected than I think they even know, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to him to arrange the children's future. Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup. ...I thought his protection might be weaker there, away from Dumbledore, but I was not yet strong enough to attempt kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards. And then, thechildren would return to Hogwarts, where they are under the crooked nose of that Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take them? Why ... by using Bertha Jorkins's information, of course. Use my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that both Potter's names were entered into the Goblet of Fire and at least one of them was chosen as champion. I used my Death Eater to ensure that it was a potter who won the tournament - that touched the Triwizard Cup first - the cup which my Death Eater had turned into a Portkey, which would bring them here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection, and into my waiting arms. My Death Eater had a second portkey for the second Potter… And here they are... the_ children_ you all believed had been my downfall. ..." Voldemort spun on me without another word and raised his wand.

"Crucio!" The pain I felt went beyond words. It felt as if my bones were on fire my eyes were rolling wildly in my head. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to be dead. And then, it was gone. Voldemort wasted no time casting the Cruciatus curse on Harry next. The darkness filled with the sounds of the Death Eater's laughter.

"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that these Children could ever have been stronger than me? But I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry and Allison Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now going to prove my power by killing them, here and now, in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help them, and no mother to die for them. I will give them their chance. they will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Just a little longer, Nagini," he whispered, and the snake glided away through the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching. "Now untie them, Wormtail, and give them back their wands."


	53. Chapter 53

Wormtail approached the headstone with a determined look. I briefly considered biting the servant of the dark lord before conceding that it would in no way help Harry and I. Breathing came easier now that I wasn't tied to a stone with a wad of cloth in my mouth. Harry seemed about to suggest attempting to run away but then he caught sight of my badly damaged leg and shook his head at himself. The Death Eaters formed a tighter circle around us, so all the gaps left by missing Death Eaters were filled. Wormtail returned our wands to us without looking at us, and then returned to his place next to Lucius Malfoy.

"You have been taught how to duel?" Voldemort asked softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness. In the back of my mind I remembered the Dueling Club that Professor Lockheart had attempted to form.

"We bow to each other children." said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry and I. "Come, the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore would like you to show manners…" I did as Voldemort had done, bending slightly, but keeping my eyes lock on him. _Try not to get yourself killed you silly girl._ Severus' voice echoed in the back on my head. My heart ached as I accepted the fact that Severus wouldn't be around to save me this time. "Bow to death, Harry…" Voldemort instructed, but Harry didn't move a muscle. He wore a defiant look, wand pointed not moving. _Harry now is__ not_ _the time to go all Gryffindor on me._

"I said, bow," Voldemort commanded raising his wand. As if pushed by an invisible hand, Harry bent far forward. The Death Eaters erupted into laughter. "Very good and now you face me, like a man, straight-backed and proud, the way your father died." Harry's jaw tightened at the mention of our dad, but he complied this time. Probably to maintain control over his own body.

"And now, children, we duel." Voldemort raised his wand and before I could defend myself I was hit again by the Cuciatus Curse. Without the cloth to gag me I was free to let out an earth shattering scream that felt so detached even coming out of my mouth. Then, just as before, the incomprehensible pain was gone. "A little break." Voldemort smiled sadistically. "A little pause, that hurt didn't it Allison? What do you say you give it a try Harry?" Harry didn't answer. He didn't move or say anything. Red eyes glared down at us. I was going to die, so was Harry. We were going to die like Cedric and there was nothing we could do about it. Fighting back only seemed futile. Harry didn't seem to agree with me. He continued to stare at Voldemort in defiance.

"I asked you would like to give it a try." Voldemort asked turning his wand on Harry. "Answer me! Imperio!" I watched as Harry seemed to be having an internal battle with himself. There was nothing I could do there was no way to counter an unforgivable curse. Not from where I stood anyway. Professor Moody's first lesson coming back to me: _The Imperious Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character and not everyone's got it._

"I WON'T!" Harry suddenly shouted from my side.

"You won't?" Voldemort said quietly, the Death Eaters had stopped their laughing." You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die…perhaps another little dose of pain?" Voldemort raised his wand, but this time Harry was ready he flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolled behind the marble headstone of Voldemort s father, and he heard it crack as the curse missed him. Panicking I followed Harry behind the marble headstone.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish you off now? Come out, come out and play, then it will be quick. It might even be painless…I would not know…I have never died." Crouched behind the headstone my eyes begged Harry not to do anything stupid.

"I'm not going to die here…not like this." Harry whispered as Voldemort neared us. "Remember last year when we were in the Shrieking Shack and we all tried to disarm Professor Snape at the same time? Maybe, maybe together we can at least disarm him?" Harry looked at me a plan clearly calculating in his eyes.

"What about Death Eaters?" I questioned back. "They'll try and defend him. wont they?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. On the count of three?"

"Not like I have a choice is there?" I said waiting for his signal.

"Three…Two…One!" Before Voldemort could stick his snakelike face around the headstone. Harry and I leapt to our feet. Voldemort was ready. As Harry and I cast the disarming spell Voldemort called out his killing curse. A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blast from both Harry's and my own wand. There was a vibrating charge surging through my wand, couldn't let go of it if I tried. A narrow "Y" shaped beam of gold now connected all three wands and then I felt my feet lift from the ground. Harry, Voldemort, and myself were being raised into the air our wands connected by the thread of shimmering gold light. We glided away from the tombstone of Voldemort's father and came to rest on a patch of ground free of graves. The Death Eaters were shouting and asking Voldemort for instructions, some of them drew their wands. The golden thread connecting us splintered but remained connected, more beams arced high in a golden dome-shaped web, a cge of light blocking us from the Death Eaters.

"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked to his followers. I couldn't help but notice the astonishment in his eyes. "Do nothing unless I command you!" And then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air. It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around us. It was a sound I barley recognized, it was a phoenix song. It was the sound of hope to Harry and me.

_Don't break the connection._ I mouthed to Harry.

_I know._ He mouthed back. But no sooner had he said that that it became much harder to do. My wand began to vibrate more powerfully than ever and the beams between Harry, Voldemort and I were changing too. Large beads of light were sliding up and down the threads connecting the wands. I felt my wand give a shudder as the light bead on my connection slide slowly towards me and away from Voldemort. Harry was doing a much better job of keeping the light bead on his strand away from his wand. The closer my own bead moved toward me I realized my wand would not survive contact with it. Gripping my wand with all my might I concentrated every last bit of willpower on forcing the bead back toward Voldemort. Slowly_, very slowly,_ the bead began to move towards Voldemort who looked astonished. Concentrating with all of our might Harry and I were able to force both our beads of light forward to touch the tip of Voldemort's wand. At once Voldemort's wand began to emit echoing screams of pain, his red eyes widened with shock. A dense smoky hand flew out of the time of his wand and vanished. The ghost of the hand he had made for Wormtail. More shouts of pain and then a great grayish head…chest...and arms…the torso of Cedric Diggory. There was soon a thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort's wand.

"Hold on. Harry, Alice, hold on." The Ghostly version of Cedric spoke. Its voice was distance and echoing. More screams of pain came from the wand and then someone else emerged from its tip. It was the muggle from my dream last summer.

"He was a real wizard, then?" the old man said, his eyes on Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did. You fight em!" The vibrating from my wand combined with standing on my leg for so long was beginning to cause tremors through my whole body but I didn't dare let go as another figured emerged from the wand. The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle before her with wide eyes.

"Don't let go, now!" she cried, "Don't let him get you, both of you don't let go!" She and the other two shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of the golden web, while the Death Eaters flitted around the outside of it. Voldemort's dead victims whispered words of encouragement to Harry and me, and hissed words we couldn't hear to Voldemort. Soon another victim would emerge from Voldemort's wand. I'd been expecting it since Cedric had first appeared from the wand. The smoky shadow of a young woman with long hair fell to the ground straightened up, and looked at us. With shaking arms I smiled at my mom.

"Your father's coming..." she said quietly. "Hold on for your father... it will be all right... hold on..." And he came tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky shadowy form of our father. Dad walked over and stood between Harry and I, speaking so that only we could hear him.

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments but we will give you time. You must get to the Portkey it will return you to Hogwarts. Do you understand, Harry? Alice? "

"Yes." Harry answered for both of us. His wand was beginning to slip from his fingers.

"Alice...Harry…" I looked up at the Shadow of Cedric who couldn't seem to put words to what he wanted from us. "Take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents…"

"We will." I assured him with a nod. Now letting me own wand slip a few inches.

"Do it now," Our father whispered. "Be ready to run…do it now…"

"NOW!" Harry yelled pulling his wand upward, I repeated his action and watched as the cage of light vanished. The phoenix song died but the shadowy figures of Voldemort's victims did not disappear they were closing in upon Voldemort shielding us from him. Without a second thought we ran. I'd never run so fast in my life. Together we zigzagged behind headstones and dodged curses. The incredible pain in my leg forgotten as I literally ran for my life.

"Assuming you got here by Portkey as well, which one do we use?" I asked racing toward Cedric's body.

"The cup!" Harry shouted as he jumped a low headstone. "I've no idea where the Portkey I used is and they wont dare followed us to Hogwarts anyway." With a painful thud I tripped over Cedric's body and landed hard on the ground. "Stay there!" Harry commanded before summoning the Triwizard Cup towards us. "Hold on to Cedric and the cup!" Harry instructed as it came soaring towards us. My some miracle I managed to clasp onto both the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's body.


	54. Chapter 54

I slammed flat onto the ground my face pressed into the grasss. _It worked._ I breathed with relief not moving from where I lay in the grass. All the breath had been knocked out of me but I need to get up, to make sure Harry was alright. I moved to sit up, my head swimming; my body's deepest desire was to curl up right there in that patch of grass. I struggled to sit up there were voices everywhere, footsteps and screams.

"Harry? Alice!"

"Allison! Harry!"

"Alice…Allison." Professor Dumbledore was crouching over Harry and I, behind him a dark shadow of a crowd pressed around us. I looked to see Harry laying face up in the grass, he'd let go of the portkey, but continued to stare blankly at the ground. I looked around to discover we had come back to the edge of the maze. Dumbledore's face swam in and out of focus as I tossed the cup aside myself. Cedric's body lay sprawled on the lawn between Harry and I. I slipped my hand through Cedric's ice cold one before looking directly at Dumbledore.

"He's back." I whispered. "He's back, Voldemort."

"What's going on? What's happened?" The face of Cornelius Fudge appeared upside down over us.

"My God - Diggory!" Fudge whispered. "Dumbledore - he's dead!" The words were repeated, the shadowy figures pressing in gasping to those around them. The words began as a whisper and them moved to shouts and screeches."He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

"Harry, let go of him," I heard Fudge's voice say. I turned to see Harry grasping at Cedric's shirt trying to keep Fudge from taking him away. Dumbledore leaned in speaking to Harry. and he felt fingers trying to pry him from Cedric's limp body, but Harry wouldn't let him go. Then Dumbledore's face, which was still blurred and misted, came closer.

"Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go."

"He wanted us to bring him back," Harry muttered. "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents. ..."

"That's right. Harry …just let go now…" Dumbledore now attempted to pry Harry's finger's from Cedric's body but Harry only tightened his grip. Realizing how we must have looked clinging to a dead body, I released Cedric's hand. Trembling I looked over at my brother.

"Harry, he's right there's nothing we can do for him now. We brought him back, just like we promised we would." That was enough to break Harry from the spell he was under he released Cedric's body and looked back at me.

"What now?"

"They need to go to the hospital wing." Fudge said loudly. "They're ill, they're injured. Dumbledore Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands."

"Dumbledore, Amos Diggorys running …he's coming over… Don't you think you should tell him - before he sees - ?"

"Harry, Alice, stay here -" Dumbledore commanded.

"Alright you two, with me."

"Dumbledore said stay," Harry grumbled.

"You need to lie down…Come on now..." despite our efforts to remain seated on the ground someone larger and stronger was half pulling half carrying ups through the frightened crowd.

"What happened Alice?" the man asked as he pushed Harry and I up the stone steps. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. It was Mad-Eye Moody. This fact relaxed me but it only seemed to give Harry more cause for worry.

"Cup was a Portkey," I answered as we crossed the Entrance Hall. "Took me and Cedric to a graveyard…and Voldemort was there…Lord Voldemort..." Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Up the marble stairs.

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?"

"Killed Cedric…they killed Cedric…" Harry murmured.

"And then?" Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Along the corridor.

"Made a potion to get his body back." I answered.

"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"

"And the Death Eaters came and then we dueled." I ignored his question.

"You dueled with the Dark Lord?"

"We got away our wands…did something funny…our parents… they came out of his wand…"

"In here kids in here, and sit down. You'll be all right, now drink this." There was a key scrape in a lock and a cup was forced into my hands. I knew better than to drink it Severus had taught me better than to just drink anything someone put in front of me.

"Drink it you'll feel better." Moody commanded. Rather than drink it I found myself wishing Remus was there with chocolate. "Come on, now. I need to know exactly what happened…."

"Voldemort's back? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?"

"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me," I answered my head still a bit clearer than Harry's.

"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" Moody asked.

"Blood." I said pointing to the fresh cut on my cheek. Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss.

"And the Death Eaters? They returned?"

"Loads of them." Harry grumbled. I noticed he didn't drink what Moody had handed him either.

"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"

"There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts!" I remembered as I replayed the events of the night in my head. "There's a Death Eater here - they put my name in the Goblet of Fire, they made sure I got through to the end -" I tried to get up but Moody pushed me back down. Harry's eyes widened and he sent me a warning look.

"I know who the Death Eater is," Moody told us.

"Karkaroff?" I asked hopefully. _Please don't let it be Sev, please don't say Severus Snape._

"Karkaroff?" said Moody with an odd laugh. "Karkaroff fled tonight, when he felt the Dark Mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many faithful supporters of the Dark Lord to wish to meet them but I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."

"Karkaroff's gone? He ran away? But then he didn't put my name in the goblet?"

"No," said Moody slowly. "No, he didn't. It was I who did that."

"No, you didn't," I shook my head. "You didn't do that…you can't have done..." _Severus would have mentioned if you were ever __ever __a Death Eater._

"I assure you I did," Moody said and his magical eye swung around and fixed upon the door. He was making sure there was no one outside it. At the same time Moody pulled his wand out swishing it between Harry and I.

"He forgave them, then? The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped Azkaban?"

"What?" Harry said. He was looking at the wand Moody was pointing at him. This was a bad joke, it had to be.

"I asked you," said Moody quietly, "Whether he forgave the scum who never even went to look for him. Those treacherous cowards who wouldn't even brave Azkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky."

"You fired . . . What are you talking about?" I asked still not believing Moody was the Death Eater at Hogwarts.

"I told you, Alice, I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them…" Moody's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile. "Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above all... you"

"You didn't... it - it can't be you. ..." I stuttered while Harry shook his head in resignation.

"Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did." Moody's magical eye had now left the door. It was fixed upon me. His lopsided mouth leered more widely than ever. "It hasn't been easy, Alice, guiding you through these tasks without arousing suspicion.I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore would have been very suspicious if you had managed everything too easily. As long as you got into that maze, preferably with a decent head start - then, I knew, I would have a chance of getting rid of the other champions and leaving your way clear. But I also had to contend with your stupidity. The second task that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I was keeping watch on you, Potter. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint -"

"You didn't," shook my head. Cedric gave me the clue -"

"Who told Cedric to open it underwater? I did. I trusted that he would pass the information on to you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did. But even then, Potter, even then you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time all those hours in the library. I expected you to ask everyone and anyone you could for help. Longbottom would have told you in an instant. But you did not, you did not, you have a streak of pride and independence that might have ruined all. So what could I do? You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I breathed had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course, I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear."

My brain could keep up with what Moody was saying. Dumbledore's friend the famous Auror the one who caught so many Death Eaters it made no sense, no sense at all. Foggy shapes in Moody's Foe-Glass were sharpening. I could barely see the outlines of three people over Moody's shoulder moving closer and closer but Moody wasn't watching, his magical eye was focused on me.

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you two and he so wanted to," whispered Moody. "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him -the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter closer than a son. The Dark Lord and I have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers ….very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure the very great pleasure ... of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"

"You're mad," Harry exclaimed.

"Mad, am I?" Moody said, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!" Moody raised his wand, he opened his mouth,

"Stupefy!" With incredible speed I had reached my wand and used it to stun Moody. There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering and crashing, the door of Moody's office was blasted apart -Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Harry and I could see Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Severus looking back at us in the Foe-Glass. Whipping my head to the door I was relieved to see the three of them standing in the doorway. Professor Dumbledore was infront his wand outstretched. At that moment, I fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than anyone could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat. He stepped into the office, placed a foot underneath Moody's unconscious body, and kicked him over onto his back, so that his face was visible. Severus followed him glancing first at me then turning to look into the Foe-Glass, where his own face was still visible, glaring into the room. Professor McGonagall went straight to Harry.

"Come along, Potter," she whispered. The thin line of her mouth was twitching as though she was about to cry. "Come along…hospital wing ..."

"No," said Dumbledore sharply.

"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight -"

"He will stay, Minerva. Allison will stay as well, because they needs to understand," said Dumbledore curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. They needs to know who has put them through the ordeal they have suffered tonight, and why,"

"Moody," I asked the adults. "How can it have been Moody?"

"This is not Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore quietly. "You have never known Alastor Moody. The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. The moment he took you, I knew and I followed." Dumbledore bent down over Moody's limp form and put a hand inside his robes. He pulled out Moody's hip flask and a set of keys on a ring. Then he turned to Professor McGonagall and Sev.

"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly go down to Hagrid's house, where you will find a large black dog sitting in the pumpkin patch. Take the dog up to my office, tell him I will be with him shortly, then come back here." Severus and Professor McGonagall seemed to be used to these sort of strange request from the old man because both turned at once and left the office. Dumbledore walked over to the trunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spell-books. Dumbledore closed the trunk, placed a second key in the second lock, and opened the trunk again. The spellbooks had vanished; this time it contained an assortment of broken Sneako-scopes, some parchment and quills, and what looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Harry and I watched, astounded, as Dumbledore placed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth keys in their respective locks, reopening the trunk each time, and revealing different contents each time. Then he placed the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, I couldn't help but be amazed once again by the power of magic.

We were looking down into a kind of pit, an underground room, and lying on the floor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Mad-Eye Moody. His wooden leg was gone, the socket that should have held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzled hair were missing. All I could do was glance between the sleeping Moody in the trunk and the unconscious Moody lying on the floor in the office. Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.

"Stunned - controlled by the Imperius Curse - very weak," Professor Dumbledore said. "Of course, they would have needed to keep him alive. Would one of you throw down the imposter's cloak - he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger."

Harry was processing things much faster than I was and fetched the cloak from imposter-Moody. Dumbledore covered the real Moody in the cloak, tucked it around him and clambered out of the trunk. Then he picked up the hip flask that stood on the desk, unscrewed it and turned it over. I think glutinous liquid splattered onto the floor.

"Polyjuice Potion, children," said Dumbledore. "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair ..." Dumbledore looked down on the Moody in the trunk. "The imposter has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have done ... on the hour . . . every hour. . . . We shall see." Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down in it, his eyes fixed upon the unconscious Moody on the floor. Harry and I stared at him too. Minutes passed in silence, then before our eyes the face of the man on the floor began to change. The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair was withdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. Suddenly, with a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment, the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.


	55. Chapter 55

The man lying before us was pale-skinned, slightly freckled with a mop of frail hair. I knew who he was because I had seen him in Dumbledore's Pensieve. There hurried footsteps outside in the corridor as Severus returned with Winky at his heels, Professor McGonagall arrived seconds later.

"Crouch!" Severus growled stopping dead in the doorway. "Barty Crouch!"

"Good heavens," Professor McGonagall said as she stared down at the man on the floor. Filthy, disheveled, Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a piercing shriek.

"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?" She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest.

"You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!" the House-Elf wailed.

"He is simply Stunned, Winky," Dumbledore reassured her. "Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?" Severus handed Dumbledore a small lglass bottle of completely clear liquid, Veritaserum. Dumbledore got up, bent over the man on the floor, and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall beneath the Foe-Glass. Winky remained on her knees, trembling, her hands over her face. Dumbledore forced the man's mouth open and poured three drops inside it. Then he pointed his wand at the man's chest and said, "Ennervate." 's son opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly. The man's eyelids flickered.

"Yes," he muttered bitterly.

"I would like you to tell us," Dumbledore began softly, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?" Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice.

"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance." Winky was shaking her head, trembling.

"Say no more. Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!" but Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice.

"The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors.

"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."

"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master…of returning to his service."

"How did your father subdue you?" Dumbledore questioned.

"The Imperius Curse, I was under my father's control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional for my good behavior."

"Master Barty, Master Barty," sobbed Winky through her hands. "You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble. ..."

"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?" Dumbledore continued softly. "Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"

"Yes," the younger Barty Crouch said his eyelids flickering again. "A witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father s signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."

"Why is she coming to nose into my masters private business?" sobbed Winky. "Why isn't she leaving us be?"

"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup," Dumbledore implored him.

"Winky talked my father into it, She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. 'Let him go,' she said. 'He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once.' She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end. It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know. But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boy's pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."

"Master Barty, you bad boy!" whispered Winky, tears trickling between her fingers.

"So you took the wand," Dumbledore continued his questioning, "and what did you do with it?"

"We went back to the tent," Crouch answered. "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned. When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape." Winky let out a wail of despair.

"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then… and then…" Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. "My master came for me. "He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door." The smile spread wider over Crouch's face, as though recalling the sweetest memory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.

"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years."

"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" Dumbledore questioned.

"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide one of the Potters through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over one of the Potters Ensuring they reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. And then create a second Portkey to use on the second Potter. But first -"

"You needed Alastor Moody," Dumbledore interupted. His blue eyes were blazing, though his voice remained calm.

"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."

"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" Dumbledore interigated.

"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."

"But your father escaped," Dumbledore explained..

"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban. My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Alice Potter. The map that had almost ruined everything."

"Map?" Dumbledore said quickly. "What map is this?"

"Harry Potter's map of Hogwarts. Potter saw me on it. Alice saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. She thought I was my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from her that night. I told her my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape. For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Alice came with Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed her. She ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."

"Noooo!" wailed Winky. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"

"You killed your father," Dumbledore asked his voice unchanged. "What did you do with the body?"

"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. she met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore that Snape had told me where to come. Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone ... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."

"And tonight. . ." Dumbledore asked leading Crouch into his final tale.

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered Barty Crouch. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards." The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.


	56. Chapter 56

Dumbledore stood up and stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch binding him tightly. Dumbledore then turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Alice and Harry upstairs?"

"Of course," Professor McGonagall nodded looking slightly nauseous. Once she agreed to watch over Barty Crouch, Professor McGonagall turned to Severus.

"Severus please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me." _He's not very happy._ I thought catching sight of the look on Severus' face as he swept out of the office. _And Dumbledore knows so he's trying to keep him too busy to think of it. _Harry seemed to still be a state of shock as he lifted himself from the chair. Following his lead I got up from the chair shaking as I put weight on my injured leg. Harry pulled one of my arms over his shoulder and helped me hobble after Dumbledore.

"I understand you have sustained some injuries, but I would still like you to come to my office first please children." Professor Dumbledore informed us and we headed up the hall. "Sirius is waiting there and I assume Remus as well." A sense of out-of-body numbness wavered through my body as we continued to follow Professor Dumbledore to his office. I saw Harry, I saw professor Dumbledore and I could make out the paintings on the wall and everything else around us as we walked, but I didn't feel anything. Like all thought and emotion had temporarily left me. I was beginning to wonder if perhaps it was all a dream. I would wake up and it would be the morning before the task, everything would be ok. Then Harry asked Dumbledore a question.

"Professor, where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory."

"They are with Professor Sprout." Dumbledore answered solemnly his voice wavering slightly. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best." We reached the giant eagle and Dumbledore gave the password and we followed him up the spiral staircase. Just as Dumbledore has said Sirius and Remus were in the office waiting for us. Remus' face was stark and emotionless but his eyes showed something wispy that I couldn't quite identify. Sirius' face was white and gaunt he crossed the room to Harry immediately.

"Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?" He asked forcing Harry into a chair. When Harry didn't answer Sirius asked him again more urgently, "What happened?" Dumbledore began to recount everything that Barty Crouch had said. Sirius listened intently while Remus seemed to only be half listening taking in the sight of me. We stood there for a short moment each only partially listening to Dumbledore before I stumbled my way over to the empty seat next to Harry. The numbness was beginning to wear off and every bone in my body was aching. There was a soft rush of wings as Fawkes the phoenix left his perch to land on Harry's knee.

"'Lo, Fawkes," Was all Harry could manage out before he began to stroke Professor Dumbledore's scarlet and gold bird. Dumbledore finished his story far too soon before turning to me.

"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Allison."

"Albus perhaps we could wait until the morning for that?" Remus asked placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat and looked very intently at Harry and I.

"If I thought I could help you by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of either of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened." I looked at Harry wearily turning his attention away from Fawkes for the moment he gave me a similarly weary look before holding out and open palm. Taking Harry's hand and not daring to let go, I took a deep breath and relayed the tale of how Voldemort had come to rise again. Once or twice Harry would add in his own experiences like how he had gotten a portkey from Bart Crouch Jr. The more we talked the easier it became to continue going on. The only time the adults in the room showed any reaction to our story was when Harry described how Wormtail had drawn blood from us. Sirius cursed out loud before bending down to examine Harry's face, Remus grip tightened on my shoulder and Dumbledore insisted we show him our wounds cut by the dagger.

"He said our blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," I told Dumbledore as he tilted my chin in his hand. "He said the protection our mother left in us- he said that he'd have it too. And he was right, he could touch us without hurting himself."

"Very well," Dumbledore commented. "Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please." Harry continued our story explained how Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron and he repeated Voldemort's speech to the Death Eaters. He even told them about how we had been untied and forced to duel but when it came time for Harry to explain about the golden beams of light, his breath hitched. I took over tell Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus about the bazar golden cage that encircled us. There was silence for a moment which was quickly broken by Sirius.

"The wands connected? Why?" We could only turn to Dumbledore for an answer.

"Priori Incantatem," the old man muttered.

"The Reverse Spell effect?" Remus asked sharply.

"Exactly, Harry, Allison and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix. This phoenix, in fact," he added, and he pointed at the scarlet-and-gold bird, perching peacefully on Harry's knee.

"Our wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry asked amazed.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second and third wands, the moment you left his shop four years ago."

"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" Sirius asked.

"They will not work properly against each other," Dumbledore explained. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse. The most recent first and then those which preceded it, which means that some form of Cedric must have reappeared." Harry and I could each only manage a nod.

"Diggory came back to life?" Sirius questioned.

"No spell can reawaken the dead." Remus told him sounding certain. Dumbledore didn't disagree, he simply added to Remus' statement.

"All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand am I correct?"

"He spoke to us," I began to shake. "The echo of Cedric he spoke to us." Professor Dumbledore nodded with understanding.

"An echo which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I'm guessing other such forms appeared, less recent victims of Voldemort's wand?"

"An old man," Harry seemed to cough out as if his throat was constricting. "Bertha Jorkins, and…and…"

"Your parents?" Dumbledore said quietly.

"Yeah." Harry answered staring intently at Fawkes' feathers. Remus gave my shoulder another comforting squeeze and for the first time I wished he wasn't there. He shouldn't have to hear any of this, neither should Sirius. Then again Harry and I shouldn't have had to see any of it but there we were in Dumbledore's office talking and listening as if it were something to be discussed like a grocery list.

"The last murders the wand performed," Dumbledore clarified. "In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, these echoes, these shadows, what did they do?" There wasn't really much left to tell. I describe how the figures had emerged from the wand and how they sneered at Voldemort while encouraging Harry and me. I told them how our dad had told us what to do, but my voice broke when it was time to repeat Cedric's last wish.

"And then he said…" Warm tears were rolling down my cheeks, "T-t-take my b-b-body back, w-w-will you? Take my b-b-body back to my p-p-parents." The numbness I had felt before had left me and there was nothing but loss and pain. With one hand still gripped tightly inside of Harry's I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes with the other.

"I will say it again," Dumbledore began as the phoenix rose into the air and resettled itself upon the perch beside the door. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of either of you tonight. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it. You will both come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitories tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace."

"If it's alright with you Dumbledore I'd like to stay with Harry tonight." Sirius practically insisted. Dumbledore nodded with approval.

"Both you and Remus are welcome to stay the night of course." Sirius transformed back into the great black dog and walked with Remus, Harry, me, and to the Hospital Wing.


End file.
